American Airlines Flight 191: Premonitions Before the Deadliest U.S. Air Disaster
CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses a major aviation disaster, loss of life, reported premonitions, and psychological trauma. Listener discretion is advised.
On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191 lifted off from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport—only to lose its left engine seconds after takeoff, roll inverted, and crash into a nearby field. All 271 people aboard were killed, along with two individuals on the ground, making it the deadliest aviation accident in U.S. history.
But in the days before the crash, unsettling stories emerged.
For ten consecutive nights, Cincinnati man David Booth dreamed of a silent jet rolling and crashing shortly after takeoff. He contacted the FAA, describing a DC-10 disaster that had not yet happened.
Author Judith Wax’s novel Starting in the Middle included a plane crash eerily described on page 191.
Actress Lindsay Wagner reportedly stepped off a flight days earlier after a powerful sense of dread.
In this episode of Echos of the Past, Bubah and Z examine:
The DC-10 pylon maintenance failure that caused the engine separation
The National Transportation Safety Board investigation
The grounding of the DC-10 fleet
The documented accounts of reported premonitions
The psychological impact of disaster foresight stories
The cultural ripple effects that later inspired the Final Destination franchise
Was it fate whispering through dreams? Or tragic coincidence layered over mechanical failure?
We explore the engineering facts, the human stories, and the echoes that linger decades later.
If this episode stirs anxiety or trauma, support is available:
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S./Canada – call or text 988)
Disaster Distress Helpline – 1-800-985-5990
Share your own premonition stories or close calls:
Email: EchosOfThaPast@gmail.com
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Follow Echos of the Past for documentary-style explorations of true crime, history, and the unexplained.
NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-79-17 (1979)
Contemporary reporting: Cincinnati Enquirer & Chicago Tribune (May–June 1979)
Judith Wax, Starting in the Middle (1979)
John G. Taylor, Science and the Supernatural (1980)
Interviews with FAA officials and aviation analysts
Television documentaries: Air Disasters (Smithsonian Channel) and Mayday (Cineflix)
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© B. Moreno 2026 – Echos of the Past
Sources Referenced:
