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Photo: simon butler / CC BY 2.0
16 February 2000

Emery Worldwide Flight 17

A disconnected elevator tab at Sacramento

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Emery Worldwide Flight 17, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 cargo jet, pitched up uncontrollably as it took off from Sacramento Mather Airport on 16 February 2000 because a bolt had come out of the right elevator control tab. The crew fought for about two minutes to fly back to the airport but crashed into an automobile salvage yard in Rancho Cordova, and all three crew members died.
1 video perspective
- Emery 17 and TransAsia 222: A Jammed Elevator and a Low Approach
  
  This double episode covers two accidents.
  
  Published 12 Oct 2025
Photo: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0
12 April 1977

Delta Air Lines Flight 1080

A jammed elevator, flown on thrust

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On 12 April 1977 a Delta Air Lines Lockheed L-1011 TriStar pitched up uncontrollably after take-off from San Diego, because its left elevator had jammed fully up. Captain Jack McMahan controlled it with engine thrust and landed safely at Los Angeles, and all 52 people on board were unhurt.
1 video perspective
- Delta Flight 1080: Flying an L-1011 With a Jammed Left Elevator
  
  Delta Flight 1080 developed severe pitch and roll problems during take-off from San Diego on 12 April 1977, with 52 people on board.
  
  Published 31 Jul 2026