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Photo: Eheik / Public domain
12 November 2001

American Airlines Flight 587

The tail fin lost over Queens

Open event

On 12 November 2001 an American Airlines Airbus A300 bound for Santo Domingo lost its vertical stabilizer about 90 seconds after taking off from New York's JFK airport, when the first officer made repeated full rudder inputs in wake turbulence. It crashed into Belle Harbor, Queens, killing all 260 people on board and 5 people on the ground.
2 video perspectives
- American Airlines Flight 587: Rudder Inputs, Design and Training
  
  American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300-605R, crashed into Belle Harbor, New York, shortly after take-off from JFK on 12 November 2001, killing all 260 on board and 5 people on the ground.
  
  Published 17 Oct 2026
- American Airlines Flight 587: The ATC Audio and the Tail Failure
  
  This video sets the real air traffic control recordings from 12 November 2001 against the NTSB's findings on American Airlines Flight 587.
  
  Published 22 Oct 2026
Photo: Kambui / CC BY 2.0
2 September 1998

Swissair Flight 111

An in-flight fire off Nova Scotia

Open event

Swissair Flight 111, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 flying from New York to Geneva on 2 September 1998, developed a fire hidden above the cockpit ceiling that spread through flammable insulation while the crew diverted towards Halifax. About 20 minutes after the pilots first noticed an unusual smell, the aircraft struck the Atlantic Ocean off Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, and all 229 people on board were killed.
1 video perspective
- Swissair Flight 111: How a Hidden Fire Brought Down an MD-11
  
  A wiring arc above the cockpit of Swissair Flight 111 set fire to flammable insulation as the MD-11 crossed Nova Scotia on its way from New York to Geneva in September 1998.
  
  Published 17 Jan 2026
Photo: Eduard Marmet / CC BY-SA 3.0
17 July 1996

TWA Flight 800

A fuel tank explosion off Long Island

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TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747-131 bound from New York to Paris, broke apart off Long Island on 17 July 1996, about 12 minutes after takeoff, when fuel vapour in its nearly empty centre wing tank exploded. All 230 people on board were killed, and the investigation led to new rules on fuel tank wiring and to nitrogen inerting systems in airliner fuel tanks.
2 video perspectives
- TWA Flight 800: How a Wiring Fault Ignited an Empty Fuel Tank
  
  TWA Flight 800 broke apart over the Atlantic in July 1996 when a short circuit most likely sent excess voltage into the fuel gauge wiring of its nearly empty centre tank, igniting fuel vapour warmed…
  
  Published 21 Mar 2026
- TWA Flight 800: The 747 Fuel Tank Explosion Off Long Island
  
  TWA Flight 800 disappeared from radar 12 minutes after leaving New York for Paris in July 1996, when its centre fuel tank exploded and all 230 people on board were killed.
  
  Published 22 Oct 2026

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