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Final Destination: American Airlines Flight 191
One of the deadliest days in the history of American aviation was May 25, 1979. On this day, American Airlines Flight 191 crashed shortly after takeoff from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. The electrical and hydraulic systems of the aircraft suffered severe damage when one of the engines broke free from the wing. The jet crashed into a nearby trailer park because the pilot lost control. A man found the image particularly terrifying because he had correctly predicted an aviation tragedy but had been unable to pinpoint it, leaving 272 people dead.
In 1979, David Booth, an office manager in Cincinnati, experienced the same nightmare ten nights. He witnessed an aircraft swerving off a runway, turning over, and catching fire every time. He made the decision to report these visions to the FAA, but he didn’t think they would be taken seriously. He was surprised that after hearing what he had to say, the FAA had determined that it was either a Boeing 727 or a DC-10. Booth also told American Airlines, and although they considered what he had to say, neither the airline nor the FAA could do anything more because his dreams had not included any specific date or other information.
On May 24, Booth had his final nightmare. Little did he know that the impending calamity would not be far off. Unable to believe what he saw, Booth was in front of his television when word of the catastrophe broke. Throughout the investigation, Booth was looked into multiple times. The authorities wondered how he might have known what would happen, even if he wasn’t a suspect. Even though American Airlines paid attention to him, the company took shortcuts. The inquiry found that the corporation had implemented a temporary remedy to reduce maintenance time that resulted in the catastrophe.
Booth wasn’t the only one who had premonitions about the catastrophe, it turned out. On May 25, actress Lindsay Wagner — best known for playing the Bionic Woman (My favorite show, from the 1970s)— was scheduled to board Flight 191. Wagner claimed that while she was waiting for the plane, she suddenly became quite sick, and the closer it got to boarding time, the worse she felt. Rather than risk being sick on the flight, she made the decision to return home. Wagner says that she felt a lot better as soon as she exited the airport.
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