Investigation of the Crash of Valu Jet Flight

Investigation of the Crash of Valu. Jet Flight 592, the Relevant Stakeholders, Crisis System, and Crisis Mechanisms Matt Williams Dr. Petkov LAC 130

Background • May 11, 1996 • Valu. Jet flight 592 transporting 105 passengers and 5 crew members from Miami, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia • Shortly after takeoff, the Mc. Donnell Douglas DC-9 -32 crashed into the Florida Everglades • Resulted in the deaths of all 110 passengers aboard the aircraft

Background (cont. ) • Caused by a fire that started in the cargo area of the aircraft • The fire was ignited by oxygen generators • The oxygen tanks were the responsibility of Sabre. Tech, Valu. Jet’s maintenance contractor • They were loaded onto the plane in five large boxes and labeled as COM (Company-Owned Material) • The required warnings for shipping hazardous materials were not on the boxes • The shipping ticket said that the canisters were empty • Some of the oxygen generators lacked safety caps for the firing pins

Background (cont. ) • Valu. Jet failed to properly supervise the loading of cargo onto their aircraft • The airline assumed no responsibility for the crash • They were grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration for three months • Valu. Jet was forced to lay off employees and make pay cuts • They faced many lawsuits against the families of the victims

Background (cont. ) • Sabre. Tech was responsible for mislabeling and misrepresenting the oxygen generators • The implications of the containers being labeled as “empty” were that they were harmless • Also, Valu. Jet wasn’t qualified to transport oxygen in the first place, as it is classified as a hazardous chemical • Along with the lawsuits they faced, Sabre. Tech faced criminal charges, a $2 million fine, and $9 million in restitution

Relevant Stakeholders • • • Victims of the crash Friends and family of victims Valu. Jet Sabre. Tech Federal Aviation Administration Millions of people who vested interest in the crisis

Valu. Jet Before the Crash • Extremely low budget • Flights cost immensely less than competition • Outsourced maintenance to cheap repair places, rather than having their own facilities and mechanics • More accidents and emergency landings than other airlines • Low quality flight experience

Changes in Crisis System • In 1998, the Federal Aviation Administration issued new standards that increased both the detection and suppression of fire in cargo areas • Valu. Jet merged with Air. Tran Airways and kept the Air. Tran name

Works Cited • FISHMAN, D. 1999. Valu. Jet Flight 592: Crisis Communication Theory Blended and Extended. Communication Quarterly. 47(Fall) 345 -375 • MACNEAL, E. 1997. Fatal Words. Et Cetera. (Spring) • ENGLEHARDT, K. 2004. Compassion Without Blame: Testing the Accident Decision Flow Chart With the Crash of Valu. Jet Flight 592. Journal of Public Relations Research. 16(2) 127 -156