The Crash Landing of 1989’s United Airlines Flight 232 Recreated in Microsoft Flight Simulator

Allec Joshua Ibay recreated the crash landing of 1989’s United Airlines Flight 232 in Microsoft Flight Simulator. When the DC-10 suffered a failure of its tail-mounted engine, the flight crew lost control of the plane but were still able to save the lives of 185 of the 296 people on board.

The intense simulation of the tragic flight takes viewers through a step-by-step account of the flight’s final minutes and how the crew was able to save the lives it did.

United Airlines Flight 232 was a DC-10 (registered N1819U) that on July 19, 1989 crash-landed in Sioux City, Iowa after suffering catastrophic failure of its tail-mounted engine, which led to the loss of all flight controls. The flight was en route from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Of the 296 people on board, 111 died in the accident and 185 survived. Despite the deaths, the accident is considered a prime example of successful crew resource management due to the large number of survivors and the manner in which the flight crew handled the emergency and landed the airplane without conventional control. The flight crew became well known as a result of their actions, in particular the captain, Alfred C. Haynes, and a DC-10 instructor on board who offered his assistance, Dennis E. Fitch.