The NTSB Got It Wrong on TWA Flight 841

Editor’s Note: TWA Flight 841, a Boeing 727-31 (N840TW), operated as a scheduled passenger flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York (JFK) to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minnesota (MSP) on Wednesday, April 4, 1979. Flight 841  departed JFK with 82 passengers and seven crew members at 20:25. The following description of what took place is from the final NTSB Report (DCA79AA016).

About 21:48 eastern, on April 4, 1979, a Trans World Airlines, Inc., Boeing 727, operating as Flight 841, entered an uncontrolled maneuver at 39,000 feet pressure altitude near Saginaw, Michigan. The aircraft descended to about 5,000 feet in about 63 seconds before the flightcrew regained control. About 22:31, the flightcrew made an emergency landing at Metropolitan Airport, Detroit, Michigan (DTW). Of the 89 persons aboard, eight passengers received minor injuries. The aircraft was damaged substantially.

The Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the isolation of the No, 7 leading slat in the fully or partially extended position after an extension of the Nos. 2, 3, 6, and 7 leading edge slats and the subsequent retraction of the Nos. 2, 3, and 6 slats, and the captain’s untimely flight control inputs to counter the roll resulting from the slat asymmetry. Contributing to the cause was a preexisting misalignment of the No. 7 slat which, when combined with the cruise condition airloads, precluded retraction of that slat. After eliminating all probable individual or combined mechanical failures, or malfunctions which could lead to slat extension, the Safety Board determined that the extension of the slats was the result of the flightcrew’s manipulation of the flap/slat controls. Contributing to the captain’s untimely use of the flight controls was distraction due probably to his efforts to rectify the source of the control problem.

Flight 841 operated as a scheduled passenger flight from New York (JFK) to Minneapolis (MSP) on April 4, 1979 when it entered a spiraling dive.

As a retired B-727 captain, this is why I believe the NTSB got it wrong on TWA 841 and Captain Hoot Gibson and his crew. On April 4, 1979, TWA 841 was involved in an out-of-control spin over Michigan. At that time, I was the ALPA Captain Representative of the Chicago-based pilots and was flying the B-727 from the Chicago O’Hare (ORD) domicile.

Early in the morning of April 5, 1979, I received a phone call from ORD Chief Pilot, Harry Jacobsen, asking me to join him on a flight to Detroit to meet with Captain Hoot Gibson and his crew that were involved in an incident. On arrival in Detroit, besides interviewing the pilots, Captain Jacobsen asked me to speak for TWA in dealing with the media.

After arriving at the hotel where the crew was staying, I called Hoot and asked to see him in his room. Hoot and I have been friends for many years. In his room, Hoot detailed the event in great detail. I was flabbergasted as Hoot described the terrifying event. Next, I visited First Officer, Scott Kennedy, whose description of the event was the same as Hoot’s but a little less detailed.

Finally, I visited with Flight Engineer Gary Banks. Gary detailed how hopeless he felt watching the event from the flight engineer seat. There was going to be an initial hearing at the hotel later that day and I advised Hoot, Scott, and Gary to tell the truth since the Federal Government would be involved in the hearing and not telling the truth was a federal offense. I totally believed Hoot, Scott, and Gary that day, and I totally believe their story today. The NTSB claimed the flight crew caused the incident. The flight crew DID NOT cause the event as described by the NTSB.

As a TWA captain currently flying the B-727 at the  time of the incident, I was well aware that most pilots flying the 727 did not like the way it handled at higher altitudes like FL 390. Also, I am sure that if any crew member in the cockpit suggested lowering the flaps at 39,000 feet to improve performance, they would have been laughed out of the cockpit. That was not the TWA culture.

Ok, this is at the heart of the matter as to why I do not believe the NTSB.  For the event described by the NTSB to have happened, the wing flaps had to be extended at 39,000 feet. This takes hydraulic power which creates a substantial amount of noise from the hydraulic operating pumps. Most passengers  have heard this when the flaps are extended during ground taxi. The noise is just as noticeable at high altitude.  So, did the NTSB get testimony from either the crew or the passengers about hearing an unusual noise just prior to the upset? No, because that would not fit their narrative.

Later evidence shows that the lower rudder on TWA 841 may have failed and started the upset. The NTSB refused to hear any new evidence. I rest my case.

Postscript:  A number of programs have been produced over the years describing the events and subsequent investgation of TWA 841 including from the Smithsonian Channel.

The flap and slat extension sequence on the B-727:

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Jerry Lawler

While enrolled in college, Jerry earned his Private Pilot license in 1959. He joined TWA in 1964 as a Lockheed Constellation flight engineer, progressed to Convair 880 first officer, and upgraded to Convair 880 captain in 1968. For the next 30 years he flew captain on the B-707, B-727, B-757, B-767, B-747 and Lockheed L-1011 on both domestic and international routes. Although a loyal TWA employee, Jerry was active in the Air Line Pilots Association, serving as a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Training and Standards Committee.

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