The Worst Airplane Crash on American Soil

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Just after takeoff from O'Hare at 2:50 PM CDT on May 25, 1979, American Airlines flight 191's left engine broke off from the wing, severing hydraulic fluid lines and damaging the wing's leading edge. Loss of hydraulics caused the left wing's flaps to retract and the wing to stall, causing the plane to roll left and crash, just 4,600 feet from the end of the runway. All 271 people on board and two people on the ground were killed. The cause was found to be a faulty maintenance procedure that had damaged the engine's pylon attachment.

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