Talk:American Airlines Flight 1502

One of the rudders on the tail of this plane had been replaced the night before the crash, per American Airlines maintenance records. These records were obtained by the ALPA accident investigation team, as American pilots were still members of ALPA in 1961. The investigation mentioned that the plane had "uncontrolled yawing." Yawing is affected by the rudder movement of the plane. My (future) father in law was killed in this crash. His son, Lloyd D, is my husband, also a pilot (former USAF, EAL, UAL)and researched his father's crash in the ALPA investigation files. His family was never told of the replaced rudder, flight recorders in those days being primitive. He was only 47 when he was killed. American did little for the family other than pay for the funeral and offer lifetime space available passes for the widow (till age 22 for the kids). His wife was a widow for 38 years and died destitute, led to believe, by American, that somehow her husband was responsible for the crash. She never knew about the rudder replacement the night previous, which, if not done properly, would have played a significant role in the crash. One did not question corporate authority in 1961 the way we do today. Too bad. She had a very difficult 38 years as a widow, dependent on her kids.