Wind Shear Is Another Matter Altogether

On August 2, 1985, Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011, crashed while approaching the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas. While passing through the rain shaft beneath a thunderstorm, Flight 191 entered a microburst, which the crew was unable to traverse successfully. Of the 163 aboard, 134 passengers and crew died; 26 passengers and three cabin attendants survived.

Editorial Staff

Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

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A bright orange Birddog was the perfect aircraft to attract visitors—and be seen in the snow—during the Winter Flight Fest at Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh. Jason McDowell

Key Takeaways:

Delta Air Lines Flight 191 crashed in 1985 while approaching Dallas/Fort Worth, killing 134 people after entering a microburst during a thunderstorm.
The NTSB determined probable causes included the flight crew's decision to continue approaching a storm with visible lightning, and a lack of specific guidelines, training, and real-time information for avoiding low-altitude wind shear.
The article emphasizes that wind shear, including microbursts and gust fronts, poses a significant threat to all aircraft during takeoff and landing due to sudden and violent changes in wind speed and direction.