fuckyeahwrecks

This Day In Wrecks

1927:  The Dole Air Race, with a prize of $25,000 dollars for the first plane to make it to Honolulu, starts in Oakland, CA.  Only two of the planes reach their destination; two crash on takeoff, one aborts the flight and three are never seen again, with the loss of 7 people.

1942:  The naval blimp L-8 drifts into Daly City, CA and strikes power lines and houses, crashing on Bellvue Ave.  When rescuers open the gondola, they find the crew has disappeared.  No trace of the two men is ever found.

1987:  Northwest Airlines Flight 255 takes off from Detroit with incorrect flap and slat settings; the takeoff warning system does not sound an alarm due to a circuit breaker.  It is never determined whether the breaker tripped, malfunctioned or was left open intentionally.  The MD-82 stalls, hits a light pole and a building, and crashes onto a roadway.  154 people on the plane and 2 on the ground are killed, but a four-year old passenger, Cecelia Cichan, survives.  (pictured)

Goodyear blimp “Spirit of Safety” - Reichelsheim, Germany - 6/12/2011 - 1 fatality, 3 survivors.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,768163,00.html