United Airlines Flight 232, DC-10, Sioux City

The crash of United Airlines Flight 232 in Sioux City, Iowa was a watershed engine failure accident. This accident is as important for propulsion engineers as the Aloha accident is for structure engineers.

This accident crossed a variety of disciplines and served to show how engines affect the airframe of an aircraft. In addition, it illustrates how a lack of an airplane level awareness during design and certification can have unintended, catastrophic consequences.

Like the other lessons you have studied, Sioux City had very clearly defined precursors. Likewise, paradigms in design and certification just did not work. Finally, human factors issues played a role in this accident.

Select Next to view a summary of the facts about this accident.