American Airlines Flight 157

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* The captain applied excessive rudder during the “S”-turn, causing the airplane to fly slightly sideways in relation to the intended flight path, known in aviation terminology as a skid. This maneuver would have caused the plane’s airspeed to drop, and according to the CAB findings, it also caused the fuel in the No. 4 main tank to slosh away from the tank’s fuel outlet, lowering the No. 4 engine’s fuel pressure and causing the engine to surge. The CAB report noted that the fuel level might not have been so low as to slosh away from the outlet had the crew transferred some fuel from the No. 1 main tank into the No. 4 main tank.
* The captain’s application of full throttle to both right-hand engines caused to airplane to turn further to the left due to the relative lack of thrust from the single functioning left-hand engine. This exacerbated his loss of directional control.
* The first officer disobeyed the captain’s order to raise the wing flaps, hindering the plane's ability to climb and the captain’s ability to anticipate the plane’s responses to control inputs (an airplane typically responds differently depending on the position of the flaps).
* The first officer misinterpreted the No. 4 engine’s fuel pressure drop as a sign of incipient engine failure. He feathered the prop of an engine that the CAB would later conclude was probably fully functional at the time. Ironically, the CAB partially exonerated Lewis for this act- they concluded that the craft was so close to the ground at that point that his mistake probably had little bearing on the final outcome of the crash.
* The first officer failed to notify the other two crew members that he had failed to raise the flaps or that he had feathered the No. 4 prop.
* Excessive elevator input by the captain caused the aircraft to stall.

The accident probably would have been avoided had the crew held the plane straight and level, raised the flaps, climbed to a safe altitude, circled the airport, and attempted another landing. The CAB concluded that there were no factors present that would compel the crew to land immediately despite the sloppy approach (such as rapidly deteriorating weather or a shortage of fuel).

The crash of Flight 157 was the deadliest air disaster in Texas history at the time. As of December 2006, it remains the worst air tragedy to take place at Dallas Love Field.

American Airlines has used the Flight 157 designation after the disaster. The number was recently used for a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Kahului Airport that was discontinued on January 3, 2007.

ee also

* Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
* Air safety

References

External links

* [http://dotlibrary2.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?browse&rn=451%22 Partial Aircraft Accident Report for Flight 157] from the Department of Transport's Special Collections
* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19491129-0 Aviation Safety Network information for Flight 157]