The Delta 191 flight on August 2nd, 1985, is the reason for weather delays in the present day. The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar with a total of 163 people on board departed from Fort Lauderdale, Texas, in hopes of reaching Los Angeles, California. Due to the lack of caution when it came to flying through extreme weather, the pilot lifted off disregarding the storm located right above the Los Angeles Airport. The ride was smooth until the plane approached it’s runway, and was unable to land due to the drastic winds that came with the storm. The plane was unable to fight against the harsh draft, and crashed into the ground. The aircraft gilded and slid on the ground, hitting an occupied car and ending up in the side of a water tank. There were 137 deaths and 26 injuries, one fatality being the driver of the struck car.
The cause of this iconic plane crash is known as a “Microburst”, also known as a downburst. These bursts of air usually last between 2-5 minutes, and can expand to about 2.5 miles(4 Kilometers). Before a microburst occurs, a downdraft must occur in the storm. After, air rises from below the clouds. Once the air reaches the clouds, it condenses and turns into water vapor. This adds to the cloud, and later leads to mass amounts of precipitation. Once the cold water droplets fall, they begin to lay pressure on the air below them. This air, after not being able to withstand the pressure, will begin to fall with the droplets, creating harsh winds that fall downwards, and begin to curve as they reach the ground. These winds can reach up to about 60mph when falling, and up to 100mph as they fan out to the side. This is a very rare occurrence in a storm, which makes this crash a historical moment, for the chances of the plane entering a microburst with such timing has chances of little to none.
As shown in the picture below, the plane’s original trajectory towards the runway was no longer an option due to the microburst. The pilot attempted to predict the strength of the wind, as he began to bring the plane parallel with the ground. He underestimated the power of the downburst, as the plane just barely missed it’s runway.
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