Cargo Door Blew Out Of The United 747, Cronin Landed The Plane Safely

David Cronin, who was the captain of United Airlines Flight 811 on February 24, 1989, passed away Monday at his home in Nevada. Cronin was 81, according to a report in the Honolulu Star Advisor.

UAL 811 Cargo Door NTSB Photo

Flight 811, a 747-100, was enroute to Auckland, New Zealand. It has stopped in Honolulu and was climbing through FL220 when the forward cargo door blew out, creating a gaping hole in the fuselage of the aircraft. Nine people who had been seated in business class were pulled out of the airplane and were killed. A flight attendant in business class was nearly pulled out as well, but managed to hang on to a seat.

Debris from the explosive decompression was ingested into both the #3 and #4 engines. Cronin started an emergency descent while shutting down the damaged engines, turning back towards Honolulu. 14 minutes after the cargo door blew, Cronin landed the plane with no further loss of life.

UAL 811 was to have been Cronin's second to last flight before he reached mandatory retirement at age 60. His performance was among the factors considered when the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots was raised to 65 by the FAA. The accident also precipitated design changes to the 747 cargo doors.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov