WLS Channel 7 - News Bulletin - "The Crash of Flight 191" (Part 1, 1979)

Here's Part 1 of WLS Channel 7's news coverage of the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 (a DC-10 manufactured by McDonnell-Douglas; scheduled to travel from Chicago to Los Angeles), 1/2 mile northwest of O'Hare Airport. Featuring Diane Allen, Peter Karl and Eastern Airlines pilot Ed Marino. Includes:

Continuing live shots of the smoldering fire that consumed the plane (from Higgins & Elmhurst in Elk Grove Village), with ongoing commentary by Diane Allen; we see the live remote mixed in with shots of the Eyewitness News studio throughout this coverage. She quotes Hugh Hill as saying this is potentially one of the worst disasters in aviation history; and that at this time there is no information on the 264 people on board.

Diane then introduces Peter Karl who is at the main news desk interviewing Eastern Airlines pilot Ed Marino who has flown in and out of O'Hare on many occasions. Marino has no specifics about the accident other than what he's seeing at the moment, but he mentions that usually a plane that loses an engine (as happened to Flight 191) is "no problem at all," and that heavy winds are "relevant, but not totally"; he makes clear he has no intention to speculate about the cause of the crash, but does discuss at length the usual protocols for flying under such conditions, and says that if winds exceed a certain amount, he simply wouldn't take off. The interview then ends.

Back to Diane who is seen at the studio with a shot of the crash aftermath behind her; she explains that an engine had given out but has no details on why it exploded, nor of the status of the 264 people on board the plane which "totally disintegrated" into "hundreds of pieces" and "smoking wreckage." A graphic slide of the location of O'Hare is shown for about 20 seconds, as Diane explains that emergency equipment has made it to O'Hare and that people are being transferred to area hospitals. As the clip progresses, word comes in that none of the people in the plane have survived. She then mentions that if the plane were United instead of American, there would have been fewer passengers on board (the American flight was fully booked), before breaking for commercials.

News Bulletin bumper slide with station ID voiceover (by Janice Gears Kos)

Commercial: L'erin Thick & Full Mascara - "Put Your Face On and Forget It"

Commercial: Mealtime Dog Food - "With Tail-Waggin' Taste From Meat Protein" (voiceover by Dave Madden) (1978 copyright date, by Kal Kan, Inc.)

Commercial: Sugar Free Diet Rite Cola - "Delight, Dynamite" (ending voiceover possibly by Dan Ingram)

Theatrical trailer for the Woody Allen film "Manhattan" (main voiceover by ??) (ending voiceover by Janice Gears Kos)

This aired on local Chicago TV on Friday, May 25th 1979.

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