On October 9, 2002, while flying over the Bering Sea, Northwest Airlines Flight 85 experiences a sudden left deflection of its lower rudder segment. Faced with this critical issue, the pilots manage to divert the plane and execute a successful emergency landing in Anchorage, Alaska, skillfully using engine thrust to maintain control. The event was later determined to be caused by a fatigue failure in the rudder hydraulic control module, leading to a portion of the module's metal casing breaking away.
Show
Mayday
Episode
S11E06
Air Date
Dec 29, 2011
Season 11 Episodes
S11E01
Deadly Reputation (TAM Airlines Flight 3054)
S11E02
The Plane That Flew Too High (West Caribbean Airways Flight 708)
S11E03
Split Decision (Arrow Air Flight 1285)
S11E04
Break Up Over Texas (Continental Express Flight 2574)
S11E05
Munich Air Disaster (British European Airways Flight 609)
S11E06
Turning Point (Northwest Airlines Flight 85)
S11E07
Bad Attitude (Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509)
S11E08
Blind Spot (PSA Flight 182)
S11E09
Under Pressure (Nigeria Airways Flight 2120)
S11E10
I'm the Problem (Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771)
S11E11
Nowhere to Land (TACA Flight 110)
S11E12
The Invisible Plane (The Linate Airport Disaster)
S11E13
Impossible Landing (United Airlines Flight 232)