Twenty-five years ago, on July 19, 1989, a Douglas DC-10 crash landing in Sioux City, Iowa, U.S., became an archetypal example of successful crew resource management. United Airlines Flight 232 was on its way from Denver to Chicago when the tail-mounted engine exploded approximately 37,000 ft over northwestern Iowa. Separation, fragmentation and forceful discharge of stage 1 fan rotor assembly parts from the no. 2 engine rendered the hydraulics useless. Fortunately, the airplane’s two wing-mounted engines were still operable, as differential thrust was all the crew had to control the airplane.
Capt. Al Haynes alerted his crew to brace 285 passengers for a crash landing. But there was no way to properly prepare the four lap-held children younger than 2, who were unrestrained. As instructed, the parents wrapped their babies in towels and blankets, placed them on the floor and braced them with their hands and legs. This was the protective measure the airlines had in place at the time f…
