On June 12, 1972, a powerful explosion rocked American Airlines Flight
96 a mere five minutes after its takeoff from Detroit. The explosion
ripped a gaping hole in the bottom of the aircraft and jammed the
hydraulic controls. Miraculously, despite the damage and ensuing chaos,
the pilots were able to land the plane safely. Less than two years
later, on March 3, 1974, a sudden, forceful blowout tore through Turk
Hava Yollari (THY) Flight 981 from Paris to London. THY Flight 981 was
not as lucky as Flight 96; it crashed in a forest in France, and none of
the 346 people onboard survived. What caused the mysterious explosions?
How were they linked? Could they have been prevented? The Flight 981
Disaster addresses these questions and many more, offering a
fascinating insiders' look at two dramatic aviation disasters.