United Airlines Flight 232

High school (ages 12+)
Transportation

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/united-airlines-flight-232

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the aircraft registration?N1819U
2. What is the engine type?General Electric CF6-6D
3. What happened to United Airlines Flight 232?The plane's tail engine broke apart, cutting off all hydraulic controls, but the pilots used the two wing engines to steer and landed the aircraft safely.
4. How did the pilots land the plane without normal controls?The pilots turned the power on the left and right engines to turn the plane, like steering a car with its wheels.

Empennage: The tail section of an aircraft, including the horizontal and vertical stabilizers and control surfaces.
Catastrophic Failure: A failure so severe that it results in the complete loss of function or destruction of a component or system.
Fatigue Life: The number of stress cycles a material can withstand before it fails due to fatigue.
Airworthiness: The quality or state of being fit to fly, determined by regulatory authorities.