Air Crash Chronicles Air Crash Chronicles

The Battle for Northwest 85

Aug 12, 2026 ยท 23m

Topics discussed

Sponsor: Resorts World New York City Setting the scene: The violent lurch over the Bering Sea Introduction to Northwest Airlines Flight 85 Cockpit chaos: The relief crew fights the 40-degree bank Diagnosis: Rudder hardover and the missing checklist Fuel crisis and the communications dead zone Sponsor: Alzheimer's disease awareness Human endurance: Pilots swapping controls to prevent cramping Cabin preparation for a potential crash landing Contacting ground engineering via HF radio The physics trap: Why slowing down made it worse Approaching Anchorage: No go-around option The landing: Overcoming the nose wheel steering trap NTSB investigation: The sheared end cap The mystery: Why a 30,000-year part failed The smoking gun: Air France incident and manufacturing defect The fix: FAA mandates a physical metal plug Why they survived: Redundancy and crew resource management Conclusion: The limits of mathematical engineering Sponsor: Resorts World New York City
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