Langhorne Bond, Former FAA Boss, Dead at 84

FAA administrator from 1977 to 1981, Bond oversaw the rollout of computerized national air traffic control system, but will always be linked to Flight 191 crash in 1979.

Jonathan Welsh

Tuesday, February 01, 2022 at 05:43 PM ET

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Bond's work on a computerized national air traffic control system led to the current ATC network. [File Photo - Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

Langhorne M. Bond, former head of the FAA from 1977-1981, died at age 84.
He is prominently associated with his decisive action to ground the U.S. DC-10 fleet after the 1979 American Airlines Flight 191 crash, due to concerns over improper maintenance.
Bond oversaw the initial phases of rolling out a computerized national air traffic control system, which laid the groundwork for the current ATC network.
He was recognized for his strong focus on aviation safety and his contributions to establishing the safety-driven foundation of the national airspace system.

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Langhorne M. Bond, a former head of the FAA whose name has long been associated with the landmark 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in Chicago, died January 29. He was 84.

Bond was administrator of the FAA from 1977-1981 under President Jimmy Carter Jr. This was a busy time in aviation industry regulation. Air travel was booming during the 1970s and new widebody jets like the Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10—which entered service earlier in the decade—seemed to rule the skies.