American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300-605R, crashed on November 12, 2001, shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, en route to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. All 260 people on board and five individuals on the ground perished in the accident. citeturn0search6
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) captured the critical moments before and during the crash. Approximately 90 seconds after takeoff, the aircraft encountered wake turbulence from a Japan Airlines Boeing 747 that had departed ahead. In response, the first officer, who was the pilot flying, made aggressive rudder inputs to counter the turbulence. These rapid movements led to excessive stress on the vertical stabilizer. The CVR recorded the following exchange:
- First Officer: ”Max power.”
- Captain: ”You all right?”
- First Officer: ”Yeah, I’m fine.”
Seconds later, the CVR captured sounds of stress and a loud bang as the vertical stabilizer separated from the aircraft. The loss of the vertical stabilizer led to a loss of control, and the aircraft crashed into the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens. The final CVR entries included the first officer exclaiming, “What the hell are we into, we’re stuck in it,” followed by the captain urging, “Get out of it, get out of it.” citeturn0search6
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the excessive rudder inputs in response to the wake turbulence led to the separation of the vertical stabilizer. The investigation highlighted the need for improved pilot training regarding aircraft responses to wake turbulence and the appropriate use of rudder inputs. citeturn0search6
This tragedy underscored the importance of understanding aircraft handling characteristics and the potential consequences of pilot actions during unexpected flight conditions.
