What is United Airlines Flight 173?

What is United Airlines 173 Flight?

United Airlines 173 Flight is among the major aviation incidents in United States history mainly based on lessons learned about aviation safety and crew resource management. This happened when a United Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-8 crashed while attempting to land near Portland, Oregon on 28 December 1978. The flight had taken off from Denver, Colorado and was headed for Portland with 189 souls on board-the passengers and the crew.

This incident has been remembered to rewrite the practices on air safety operations regarding what should be occurring in cockpits and why better communication and knowledge of the pilot management of stress becomes an issue.

Key Facts on United Airlines 173

United Airlines 173 departed from Denver International Airport for Portland International Airport. Aircraft. It was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8; this type was then one of the most employed by United Airlines. Total number of passengers and crew: 189 people were onboard, 172 passengers and 17 crew members.

Cause of the Accident: The main cause of the accident was the failure of the flight crew to react in good time upon the wrong activation of the landing gear indicator light. They were always occupied with trying to troubleshoot the minor hitch and lost sight of the problem proper-they ran out of fuel.

United Airlines 173 Flight Crash

United Airlines 173 was one of those flights which went horribly wrong due to the obsessions of the crew over a landing gear problem. The landing gear status-monitoring light malfunctioned, and the crew made an obsession of trying to correct it before landing time. However, while circling over Portland International, the pilots monitored their fuel levels wrongly leading the aircraft to run out of fuel in the air.

That this crew was making one last attempt at the end of that flight to try to bring the plane down for a crash landing in an area east of Portland; sadly for all concerned, crashed into a wooded area about 6 miles southeast of Portland, killing 10 and injuring more than 20 other people, most of whom were seriously injured.

The Aftermath and What United Airlines 173 Can Teach Us

It was one of those events that would mark the United Airlines Flight 173 disaster as a turning point in the evolution of aviation practice, at least in the communication and decision-making at the cockpit. Among the primary lessons learned was the role of CRM or “how all crew members should contribute their opinions to the decision-making process, without rank consideration.”. In this instance, the co-pilot and flight engineer did not argue with the decision made by the captain and never raised their distress and consequently ended in catastrophe.

United Airlines 173 also changed flight crew training so that the pilots will not only be technical experts but also in the control of stress, how to keep cool, and all possible resources within the cockpit for effective decision-making.

Cockpit Resource Management (CRM)

Aviation learned a rude shock from the United Airlines 173 crash: Poor communication and poor decision-making can really have devastating consequences. Post this disaster, CRM training was evolved : It was touted to base its message on team communication and coordination amongst all members of the flight crew.

Some of the basic principles incorporated under CRM are:

Effective Communication-Removal of “hierarchial barrier” that restrains members of the flight crew from voicing their concerns.

• Decisions: It installs the right culture that allows its members of the flight crew to make decisions in times of troubling distress.
• Awareness: The crews know everything about the status flight, such as fuel depletion, technical malfunctions, and bad weather.

Impact to United Airlines and Aviation Safety

This might be the United Airlines Flight 173 that compelled United Airlines along with the entire aviation sector to reconsider its safety regulations.

It created an accident whose influence resulted in the formation of policies within the airlines for enhancing communication amongst the members of the flight crew, checklists may also be one step toward implementing CRM training programs instituted as compulsorily necessary for the flight crews worldwide.

This incidence was to be remembered as a milestone in the manner airlines conducted their fuel management and emergency procedures. In United Airlines 173, where no calculation was done as far as loss of fuel consumption and how in the decision made to land had been done during the emergency time the aircraft crashed.

Conclusion: Legacy of United Airlines 173

United Airlines 173 belonged to a most important history of the safety record of aviation, and this particular aircraft’s crash led to improvements that save countless lives over the years since it happened. As sad as the lives lost were, the accident proved that the world of aviation is complicated and that the smallest mistake can lead to disastrous aftermaths.

In this case, their demand for better communication, a right decision-making process, and practice of training still shapes the current system of doing things under aviation procedure.

To the traveler and to the aviation enthusiast, there are lessons learned from United Airlines Flight 173 that will continue to remind them that safety, preparation, and good teamwork are very important.

If you would like more information on the subject of airline security or to reserve your flights, feel free to contact Fly Travel Board at +1 (844) 539-5787 for any additional questions.