Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 - Crash

Crash

Flight DL1141 to Salt Lake City left Gate 15 at 8:30AM CDT and was instructed to taxi to runway 18L. At 8:57AM DL1141 was cleared to "taxi into position and hold 18L, expect one minute for wake turbulence behind the heavy DC-10." At 8:59:17AM the flight was cleared for takeoff. The takeoff was uneventful until the airplane reached the rotation phase (at 154 knots, 6017 feet down the runway). As the main gear wheels left the ground, the airplane began to roll violently, causing the right wingtip to contact the runway (1,033 feet after lift-off). The plane continued and at 9:00:35AM struck the ILS localizer antenna array 1,000 feet past the end of the runway. After impact the airplane remained airborne for an additional 400 feet, then struck the ground, traversed a ground depression and slid sideways until it came to rest near the airport perimeter fence, 3,200 feet from the runway end. It was destroyed by impact forces and the post-crash fire. The flight lasted approximately 22 seconds from liftoff to the first ground impact.