The encyclopedia · Engineering & Operations · Operational decision · 1972
Eastern Air Lines 401 crashed because the crew was fixing a landing gear light
In 1972, Eastern 401's crew fixed a burned-out indicator light while the autopilot slowly descended. The plane crashed in the Everglades. 101 died.
Eastern Air Lines · 1972-12-29
What happened
On December 29, 1972, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashed in the Florida Everglades during approach to Miami International Airport, killing 101 of the 176 people on board.
The crew had been troubleshooting a burned-out landing gear indicator light. While the captain and first officer focused on the light, the autopilot was inadvertently disconnected, and the aircraft slowly descended. No one noticed the descent until it was too late. The plane crashed in the Everglades at approximately 225 mph.
The NTSB investigation found that the crash was caused by the crew's failure to monitor the flight instruments while distracted by the indicator light. The case led to the development of Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, which emphasizes teamwork, communication and the monitoring of flight instruments. CRM is now standard in all commercial aviation training worldwide.
Why it happened
- The crew focused on a burned-out indicator light and failed to monitor the flight instruments.
- The autopilot was inadvertently disconnected, and the aircraft slowly descended unnoticed.
- No one noticed the descent until the plane was too low to recover.
- 101 of 176 people on board died.
The lesson
A burned-out light is not an emergency; an unmonitored descent is. The crew solved the wrong problem. The case created CRM training: someone must always be flying the plane.
Aftermath
The NTSB's investigation led to the development of Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, now standard in all commercial aviation. The case is the foundational event in aviation human factors training and is taught in every pilot training program worldwide.
Sources
- Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 — Wikipedia
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-73-14 — Eastern Air Lines Flight 401
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