Taylor McKinley Aviation Blog Post #2- 10 Plane Crashes That Changed Aviation

I found an article about plane crashes in history that have greatly affected aviation, and I found it very interesting.  There were several on the list that I had never heard of.

First, what sounds to be like the worst nightmare of many people happened at the Grand Canyon when two flights, TWA Flight 2 and United Airlines Flight 718 collided.  This triggered an upgrade in the air traffic control system, which has proven to be effective because there has not been a crash between two airplanes in 47 years.

Another crash, close to home for those of us that are Ohio-natives, occurred in Cincinnati where 23 of 46 people aboard died.  The plane was headed from Dallas to Toronto, where smoke began to pour out of the rear lavatory.  Soon, the whole cabin was filled, and the pilot was able to make an emergency landing in Cincinnati, barely able to see the instruments for the smoke.  After this, the FAA mandated that lavatories be equipped with smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.  Planes built after 1988 also have more flame-resistant interior materials. 

In Long Island, a plane blew up for what seemed like no reason, another nightmare shared by many.  The explosion killed all 230 people aboard TWA Flight 800, a Boeing 747 bound for Paris from JFK.  The conclusion to this tragedy was as follows: "fumes in the plane's nearly empty center-wing fuel tank had ignited, most likely after a short circuit in a wire bundle led to a spark in the fuel gauge sensor".  Unfortunately, even with a resolution, this situation still seemed like a mystery.  Since then, the FAA has made changes to reduce sparks from faulty wiring and other sources on the plane.  Boeing has also designed a fuel-inerting system that injects nitrogen gas into fuel tanks to reduce the chance of explosions.  This was installed in their planes starting in 2008.  

Unfortunately, this article does not provide dates, but the stories here are still extremely fascinating yet haunting.  Here is the link to read more about these monumental crashes.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/aviation/crashes/10-airplane-crashes-that-changed-aviation#slide-3