Kansas City International Airport - Incidents

Incidents

• December 21, 1978 – TWA Flight 541 from Louisville International Airport to Kansas City was hijacked by 17-year-old Robin Oswald to Williamson County Regional Airport in Illinois in attempt to secure the release of Garrett Brock Trapnell, who was serving time at United States Penitentiary, Marion for the January 28, 1972, hijacking of TWA Flight 2 from Los Angeles to New York City. Oswald's mother Barbara Oswald was killed May 24, 1978, after hijacking a helicopter in an attempt to rescue him (and Martin J. McNally, who was serving time for the June 23, 1972, hijacking of a St. Louis-Tulsa American Airlines flight). Robin surrendered after 10 hours at the Williamson airport.
• February 16, 1995 – An Air Transport International McDonnell Douglas DC-8 flight to Westover Metropolitan Airport, which had aborted a take off six minutes before because of loss of directional control, crashed on Runway 1L on another take-off because of failure of the directional control when its tail hit the runway. All three on board were killed.
• September 8, 1989 – USAir Flight 105 from Pittsburgh International Airport clipped four power lines 75 feet (23 m) above the ground 7,000 feet (2,100 m) east of Runway 27 after making adjustments after being told by the MCI controller that lights were out on the south side of the airport. The flight then landed in Salina, Kansas. None of the 64 persons on board was injured.
• April 13, 1987 – Buffalo Airways Flight 721 operated by Burlington Air Express cargo flight from Wichita-Mid-Continent Airport descending in a thick fog with half mile visibility clipped a 950-ft-high ridge three miles (5 km) short of the runway. All four occupants were killed – the worst accident in the airport's history.