# Plane crashed because pilots were too distracted talking about how hot the flight attendents were - Which flight was this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 17, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666 "2021-10-17T23:51:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/1 "2021-10-17T23:51:41Z")
I remember seeing his story on one of those true air crash shows about 5 years ago. The basic story went that an airplane (might have been in the 90’s or 00’s) was taking off from an airport within the United States. It was a smaller two engine aircraft that seated from 50-80 people I believe. The aircraft was waiting on the runway for take-off instructions and both (male) pilots instead of doing the check-list or focusing on actual flight tasks were instead talking extensively about how hot the (female) flight attendants were and all of this was actually recorded on the planes black box and replayed in the episode. Then when they were finally given a take-off go-ahead they proceeded to take off but at no point had they actually adjusted the airplanes elevators which caused the aircraft to rapidly ascend, then stall and go out of control and crash within the airport into a warehouse and everybody on-board died. Does anyone remember which aircraft crash incident this was? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/2 "2021-10-18T00:01:55Z")
It might be [Delta 1141](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines_Flight_1141), which crashed just after takeoff from DFW in 1988, or [Continental 1713](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Airlines_Flight_1713), which crashed just after takeoff from Denver in 1987. As [this AP story from 1989](https://apnews.com/article/f229af4b0c63b38dfbd389e056c03a5b) reports on the Delta crash: > [@](#): > > In the minutes before a Delta jet crashed on takeoff last August, the crew joked that a plane wreck would one day expose their gleeful cockpit conversation to the public. > > The tape made by the cockpit voice recorder on Flight 1141 was released under a judge’s order Tuesday, revealing crew member’s views on news coverage of other crashes, Jesse Jackson’s politics and Marilyn Quayle’s looks. The conversation involved the cabin crew and a flight attendant who was forbidden by law to be in the cabin while the plane was in motion. > [@](#): > > While the Delta flight crew waited for takeoff, an unidentified crew member said, ″We forgot to discuss about the dating habits of our flight attendants so we could get it on the recorder in case we crashed.″ > > ″Then the media would have some kind of a juicy tidbit,″ the crew member said. > > That was a reference to Continental crew members who were said to have discussed a flight attendant’s dating habits before their jet crashed on takeoff in Denver in 1987, killing 28 people. The Continental crash was a two-engine DC-9; the Delta crash was a three-engine 727. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/3 "2021-10-18T01:42:52Z")
My first thought when reading the OP: > **[Sterile flight deck rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterile_flight_deck_rule)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > In aviation, the sterile flight deck rule or sterile cockpit rule is a procedural requirement that during critical phases of flight (normally below 10,000 ft or 3,050 m), only activities required for the safe operation of the aircraft may be carried out by the flight crew, and all non-essential activities in the cockpit are forbidden. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposed the rule in 1981, after reviewing a series... The sterile cockpit rule was also mentioned (and linked to) from the Delta 1141 link posted by @kenobi_65. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/4 "2021-10-18T01:44:10Z")
The “sterile cockpit rule” was instituted in 1981 so all the examples above would have violated that rule, which prohibits conversation during takeoff and landing among the cockpit rule that does not directly relate to flying the plane. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/5 "2021-10-18T01:54:16Z")
Wait, I’m confused: Are you telling me that the appearance of the flight attendants does not directly relate to the flying of the plane? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/6 "2021-10-18T02:13:29Z")
> [@From the AP report linked by kenobi\_65](#): > > In the minutes before a Delta jet crashed on takeoff last August, the crew joked that a plane wreck would one day expose their gleeful > cockpit conversation to the public. > > [. . .] > > While the Delta flight crew waited for takeoff, an unidentified crew member said, ″We forgot to discuss about the dating habits of our flight attendants so we could get it on the recorder in case we crashed.″ > > ″Then the media would have some kind of a juicy tidbit,″ the crew member said. How prophetic. How meta. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/7 "2021-10-18T02:20:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wait, I’m confused: Are you telling me that the appearance of the flight attendants does not directly relate to the flying of the plane?   And are the ground crew personnel even allowed to ask questions if they are uncertain of what the pilot might want? We had one sailplane instructor who insisted on “sterile cockpit” during take-off preparations, meaning the no discussion of anything but the immediate business at hand, and no idle chatter from the ground crew about last nights Raiders game, _e.g._ So one day when I was ground crewing and had an actual question about a procedure he may have wanted, and I started to ask him, he abruptly interrupted me with his “sterile cockpit” shtick. So I just turned around and walked away. Another pilot happened to be nearby and witnessed all of this, so he stepped in and took over the ground crew task. He later told me he thought the instructor was unduly snappish. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/8 "2021-10-18T04:02:54Z")
Listening to the available audio tapes Delta 1141 comes closest but I swear they were FAR more explicit in their conversations, and also I really do remember it hitting a hanger after takeoff and not just crashing into a field off the runway. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/9 "2021-10-18T15:55:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > The conversation involved the cabin crew and a flight attendant who was forbidden by law to be in the cabin while the plane was in motion. Quoting your quote, I think that should be " … forbidden by law to be in the cockpit/flight deck while the plane wad in motion." ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/10 "2021-10-18T23:28:25Z")
This sounds a lot like the Comair flight 5191 that crashed during its takeoff roll from Bluegrass Airport in Lexington, KY on August 26, 2006, before dawn. There were 50 souls on board, and only the pilot survived. The Bombardier CRJ-100ER was cleared for takeoff on runway 22, but instead took off from the shorter runway 26, and rolled off of the end of the runway and crashed before becoming airborne. The flight recorder indicated that the pilot and captain did not maintain a sterile pre-flight cockpit, and were discussing something unrelated to flying. They missed a poorly placed barrier that was supposed to prevent access to the unlit runway 26, and did not verify that their compass heading matched their cleared runway heading. > **[Comair Flight 5191](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comair_Flight_5191)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > Comair Flight 5191 (marketed as Delta Connection Flight 5191 under a codeshare agreement with Delta Air Lines) was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia. On the morning of August 27, 2006, at around 06:07 EDT (10:07 UTC),: 1  the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet 100ER crashed while attempting to take off from Blue Grass Airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the cen... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/11 "2021-10-18T23:30:04Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Listening to the available audio tapes Delta 1141 comes closest but I swear they were FAR more explicit in their conversations, and also I really do remember it hitting a hanger after takeoff and not just crashing into a field off the runway. Might not be either of those flights, then; I just went by googling something along the lines of “airline crash pilots talking about flight attendants.” On the other hand, as one of our professional airline pilots here, @LSLGuy , has pointed out in past threads, those “aviation disaster” TV shows appear to sometimes play a little fast-and-loose with the exact circumstances and how the investigation went, in order to make for an interesting story to tell. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2021, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-crashed-because-pilots-were-too-distracted-talking-about-how-hot-the-flight-attendents-were-which-flight-was-this/952666/12 "2021-10-19T03:17:40Z")
They did do idle chat, but it was more mature than that. 6:00 am. (inter-cockpit) “Both kids were sick, well, they all got colds. It was an interesting dinner last night.” Easy to conflate with non-USA incidence… the one a few years ago in Pakistan with the failure to have landing gear down for the landing, and doing a go-around …in hindsight we know they would have been better to slide down the runway … they did a touch and go, or a bang and go, with both their engines…but both engines were damaged by the touch and go and so they didnt make it back to normal flight.