ABSTRACT
On May 11, 1996 a ValuJet DC-9-32, registration number N904VJ, crashed into the Florida Everglades exactly ten minutes after its departure from Miami International Airport. The loss of 110 innocent lives sparked one of the most dedicated investigations ever performed by the NTSB, and it also became one of the highest media covered disasters in US aviation history. On May 13 only two days after the accident, the public first heard about the oxygen generators which were loaded in the forward cargo compartment of the aircraft destined for Atlanta. The NTSB investigation later concluded that the probable cause of the crash of flight 592 was a result of the ignition of one or more of these oxygen canisters. It is speculated that SabreTech, ValuJet’s contract maintenance provider, improperly labeled and stored these generators as empty but in reality were actually full. For much of the public and the media following the accident, they felt relief in knowing the cause of this terrible disaster. However, some believed that this investigation was cut short. Many questions remained unanswered regarding ValuJet’s questionable rapid expansion and maintenance procedures in the months prior to the accident. Some of these issues even sparked the FAA to begin an investigation of ValuJet. This chapter will develop both theories of the NTSB and those who believe something else brought down the DC-9 on that sunny Florida afternoon.
