Jet Carrying 161 Crashes in Texas : At Least 10 Die, 33 Survive When L-1011 Bound for L.A. Goes Down

A Delta L-1011 jetliner destined for Los Angeles with 161 persons aboard hit two cars and crashed in a severe thunderstorm Friday on its final approach to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, killing at least 10 persons, authorities said.

At least 33 other persons aboard survived. Witnesses told reporters that they thought up to 30 persons were dead at the scene, but authorities could not confirm those reports.

A man was reportedly killed when the plane struck his car on Texas Highway 114.

Originated in Florida

The flight originated in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., at 4:10 p.m. and was en route to Los Angeles, with a stop in Dallas. Reports indicated that 42 of the passengers had been planning to stay aboard for the flight to Los Angeles, said Jack Westman, Delta’s district marketing manager.

The plane crashed at about 7:05 p.m. in heavy rain about a quarter-mile north of the runway at the airport, which is midway between Dallas and Fort Worth, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Dennis Feldman said in Washington.

The jet appeared to “nosedive” as it neared landing and bounced about five times, sending up smoke and flames, witnesses said. Airport officials and witnesses said the plane may been struck by lightning, but FAA spokesman Fred Farrar said authorities could not confirm that.

“Ambulances are everywhere. They have massive injuries,” a witness said. Parkland Hospital officials in Dallas said they had received 17 of the injured and were alerted to expect “any number of people.” Five survivors were taken to Irving Community Hospital.

Thomas Dunn, a witness who reported seeing 20 to 30 bodies at the scene, said some of the victims remained strapped in their seats, their bodies totally burned.

“I saw bodies that were charred and bodies (on the ground) that were absolutely normal,” he said. “The whole plane was on fire before it hit the ground. It was just a big ball of fire.”

Another witness, Jim Porter, who tried to rescue survivors, said the plane appeared to be coming apart before impact. “There was lots of metal (flying) before the crash, so it must have been coming apart before the crash,” he said.

Dense smoke streamed from the charred hulk of the jet, and debris was scattered over several hundred yards just north of the airport near a water storage tank that was dented from the crash.

“I heard the low-flying jet. I did see lightning. All I could feel was a heavy gust of wind coming in behind the plane and the plane itself in sight, exploding,” said Tony Maza, a witness.

Anthony Rogers said he was headed west on Highway 114 near the airport when the plane hit his car and then another, killing a person in the second vehicle.

Couldn’t See

“The rain was so hard you couldn’t see 30 foot in front of you,” he said. “All of a sudden, it seemed like (my car) just caught a tire, a glimpse of a tire, and a big jolt just bounced my car.”

Rogers said he then looked back for the plane and saw “a big explosion . . . the ball of fire and the mushroom cloud.”

Firefighters spread foam, and a stream of ambulances was seen leaving for Parkland Hospital.

“When I went out there, all I saw was a big flash of fire,” said Jerry Fenske, a worker for Zantop Airlines, adding that either the plane or parts of the plane hit a water storage tank. “I also saw water spewing out of the tank.”

A witness said that about five seconds after the crash a large explosion sent flames 200 to 300 feet into the air.

“There’s metal stewn all over the place,” said W. J. Blankenship, batallion chief of the Irving Fire Department.

Slammed to Ground

Witnesses said the plane slammed to the ground in a grinding crash, leaving the tail section between two fuel or water storage tanks at the north end of the airport.

Katie Bernhard, a desk clerk at a Holiday Inn about a mile from the crash, said the motel had lost power when she looked out the lobby window and saw “an enormous fireball and mushroom cloud.”

The L-1011, a three-engine wide-body jet, is built by Lockheed. The crash is the first of a commercial liner at the airport, the nation’s fourth busiest.