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649:. The aircraft were fitted with orange seats. Most of the aircraft purchased were more than 15 years old, many obtained from other carriers. ValuJet had on average one of the oldest fleets in America, averaging 27 years. All the planes were painted white with blue and yellow trim, with the smiling "critter" painted on both sides of the plane on the front. ValuJet's FAA call sign was "critter" due to the airline's smiling airplane logo.
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885:. Retrieved on May 19, 2009. "Defendant ValuJet maintains its principal executive offices in this District at 1800 Phoenix Boulevard, Atlanta, Georgia and many of the acts and transactions giving rise to the violations of law complained of herein, including the preparation and dissemination to the investing public of false and misleading information, occurred in this District."
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network, something the industry had not seen since deregulation in 1979. This attempt at removing ValuJet's certification was "lost in the maze at FAA" according to NTSB Chairman Jim Hall. By this time, ValuJet's accident rate was not only one of the highest in the low-fare sector, but was more than 14 times that of the legacy airlines.
522:
Like most low-cost airlines, ValuJet did not own any hangars or spare parts inventories. Moreover, many of the measures it took to hold down fares were very aggressive even by low-cost standards. For example, it required pilots to pay for their own training and only paid them after completed flights.
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The airline went public in June 1994 after a year of tremendous growth with the addition of 15 aircraft since the first flight in 1993. It became the fastest airline to make a profit in the history of
American aviation, earning $ 21 million in 1994 alone. In October 1995, ValuJet placed an order
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illegally stowed in the cargo hold without safety caps. The generators were put on the plane by maintenance subcontractor SabreTech. The resulting investigation revealed numerous systemic flaws, and ultimately faulted both SabreTech for storing the generators on the plane along with ValuJet for not
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re-certification of this airline"—in other words, the FAA wanted ValuJet grounded. ValuJet airplanes made 129 emergency landings: fifteen in 1994, 57 in 1995, and 57 from
January through May 1996. In February, the FAA ordered ValuJet to seek approval before adding any new aircraft or cities to their
632:
AirTran, prior to its purchase by
Southwest, made no notable mention of the ValuJet past. Instead, AirTran kept a large cache of ValuJet memorabilia, including radio ads, locked in an Atlanta warehouse. AirTran also opted not to make any major announcements on the crash's tenth anniversary out of
422:
in 1996, which was caused by illegally stored hazardous materials on board, spelled doom for the airline. ValuJet was grounded the next month and not allowed to fly again until
September of that same year, with a greatly reduced fleet. The airline's major customers never returned, and the company
628:
ValuJet
Airlines was renamed AirTran Airlines after the merger. All fleet and operations were transferred to AirTran Airways in 1998, and the ValuJet Airlines/AirTran Airlines operating certificate was surrendered. ValuJet's legal existence ended in 1999 when AirTran Airlines merged into AirTran
584:
After the crash, many of ValuJet's other cost-cutting practices came under scrutiny. One of its planes flew 140 times despite a leaky hydraulic system, and another flew 31 times with malfunctioning weather radar. Another plane was allowed to fly despite engine rust that went unnoticed during its
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and Canada during the 1990s. The company was founded in 1992 and was notorious for its sometimes dangerous cost-cutting measures. All of the airline's planes were purchased used from other airlines; very little training was provided to workers; and contractors were used for maintenance and other
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on
Saturday, May 11, 1996, due to a fire caused by the activation of chemical oxygen generators that were illegally shipped in the cargo hold by ValuJet's maintenance contractor, SabreTech. The fire damaged the airplane's flight control cables, which led towards the crew losing control of the
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many functions other airlines handle themselves. For instance, it subcontracted maintenance to several companies, and these companies in turn subcontracted the work to other companies. Whenever delays were caused by mechanics, ValuJet cut the pay of the mechanics working on that plane.
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The subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft. Among the five crew members, one flight attendant received serious puncture wounds from shrapnel and thermal injuries, and another flight attendant received minor injuries. Of the 57 passengers on board, five suffered minor injuries.
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from the right engine penetrated the fuselage and the right engine main fuel line, and a cabin fire erupted. The airplane was stopped on the runway, and captain Greg
Straessle, 45, ordered an evacuation of the airplane. The plane was on a scheduled flight to
511:) with an option for 50 more. To keep costs low, the airline bought many used aircraft from around the world. At the time ValuJet's fleet was among the oldest in the United States, averaging 26 years. In 1995, the airline sued Delta Air Lines and
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Airways. However, while the merged airline operated under AirTran's FAA certificate, it retained ValuJet's stock price history and was initially headed by ValuJet's management team. Thus, ValuJet was the nominal corporate survivor.
608:
After the large amount of negative publicity surrounding the Flight 592 incident, ValuJet suffered serious financial problems. On July 11, 1997, they announced that it would merge with the much smaller
Airways Corporation, parent of
781:, on which a maintenance contractor had failed to perform a proper inspection and had kept poor records. The incident resulted in the NTSB issuing an advisory recommending improvements to maintenance rules throughout the industry.
475:. The first flight, Flight 901, flew from Atlanta to Tampa. The carrier was headed by a group of industry veterans including co-founder and chairman Robert Priddy, who had started a string of successful airlines including
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services. The company quickly developed a reputation for safety issues. In 1995, the military refused ValuJet's bid to fly military personnel over safety worries, and officials at the FAA wanted the airline to be grounded.
613:, which was completed on November 17, 1997. Airways Corporation merged into the ValuJet's holding company, ValuJet, Inc. The merged company retained ValuJet's pre-1997 stock price history, but changed its name to
596:
On
September 26, 1996, ValuJet resumed flying with 15 jets, down from 52 before the crash, after complying with all DOT and FAA requirements. On November 4, 1996, ValuJet announced that Joseph Corr, former
605:, would become CEO and President at a time when the airline was in serious trouble. Its highest-paying customers never returned, however, and it had lost $ 55 million since the crash of Flight 592.
724:. Before the crash of Flight 592, ValuJet operated to 22 cities in the U.S. and one in Canada. Most people chose ValuJet for their low fares, such as $ 39 tickets for a flight from Atlanta to
585:
refit; it caught fire a few months later and was completely destroyed. At the time of the crash, the FAA was in the final stages of a three-month review of ValuJet's operations. The
430:. Although ValuJet was the nominal survivor, executives believed that a new name was important to regain passenger traffic, so the merged company adopted the AirTran name in a
551:'s (FAA) Atlanta field office sent a memo on February 14, 1996, to its headquarters in Washington, D.C., stating that "consideration should be given to an immediate
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1146:"NTSB Urges Tighter Aircraft Repair Station Rules, Updated Cockpit Voice Recorders on All Planes Following 1995 Atlanta ValuJet Engine Accident"
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576:, crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. The crash was caused by an onboard fire triggered by full but expired
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1168:"In-Flight Fire and Impact with Terrain, ValuJet Airlines Flight 592, DC-9-32, N904VJ, Everglades, Near Miami, Florida, May 11, 1996"
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after a catastrophic engine failure caused by a stress crack in a compressor blade that occurred when the blade was made.
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1100:"Uncontained Engine Failure/Fire, ValuJet Airlines Flight 597, Douglas DC-9-32, N908VJ, Atlanta, Georgia, June 8, 1995"
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originally wanted to give ValuJet a clean bill of health. However, after the department's
Inspector General,
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ValuJet was founded in 1992 and began operations on October 26, 1993. It originally offered service from
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aircraft, resulting in the deaths of all 110 people on board. The airplane was on its way from
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In 1992, the predecessor airline, ValuJet Airlines was founded by airline industry veterans...
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and Tim Flynn, the other co-founders, developed and ran WestAir before selling it to
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617:. In November 1997, AirTran Holdings announced it would move its headquarters from
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777:(NTSB) determined that the engine failure was caused by a detectable crack in a
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ValuJet operated an all-McDonnell Douglas fleet of 98 aircraft consisting of
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President Lewis Jordan joined the carrier a short time later as president.
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1173:. National Transportation Safety Board. August 19, 1997. NTSB/AAR-97/06.
811:. This accident also contributed to ValuJet ceasing operations in 1997.
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19:
This article is about the defunct U.S. airline. For other topics, see
1105:. National Transportation Safety Board. July 30, 1996. NTSB/AAR-96/03
1148:(Press release). National Transportation Safety Board. July 30, 1996
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On May 11, 1996, ValuJet suffered its highest-profile accident when
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ValuJet's main hub was in Atlanta, and their focus cities were
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Defunct ultra low-cost airline of the United States (1992–1997)
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that operated from 1992 until 1997, when it was rebranded as
914:"Valujet Airlines Sues T.W.A. and Delta Over Landing Slots"
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It gave its flight attendants only basic training. It also
1193:
NTSB Aircraft Accident Report ValuJet Airlines Flight 558
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56:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
1126:. National Transportation Safety Board. ATL95MA106
652:At the time of its demise the fleet consisted of:
966:"Online NewsHour: ValuJet Crash- August 19, 1997"
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838:
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755:Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
1274:Defunct companies based in Georgia (U.S. state)
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929:
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833:
821:List of defunct airlines of the United States
745:The flight 597 aircraft, a DC-9-32, in flames
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426:In 1997, ValuJet purchased the much smaller
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483:, and Florida Gulf Airlines. Board members
1264:Companies based in Clayton County, Georgia
1078:"10 years after tragedy, AirTran flies on"
1040:. AirTran Holdings, Inc. December 31, 2001
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116:Learn how and when to remove this message
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1059:"ValuJet begins service under new name"
1034:"AIRTRAN HOLDINGS, INC. 2001 FORM 10-K"
753:, was forced to abort its takeoff from
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911:
905:
1269:Defunct airlines of the United States
946:from the original on February 8, 2011
775:National Transportation Safety Board
560:Fallout from the crash of Flight 592
507:for 50 MD-95 jets (now known as the
380:McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 of Valujet
54:adding citations to reliable sources
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633:respect for the victims' families.
538:United States Department of Defense
438:in 2011 and ended flights in 2014.
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1011:AIRTRAN HOLDINGS INC 10-K 19980327
1000:AIRTRAN HOLDINGS INC 10-K 19980102
989:AIRTRAN HOLDINGS INC 10-K 19971205
912:Bryant, Adam (November 10, 1995).
798:, another DC-9-32, crashed in the
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1124:"NTSB Identification: ATL95MA106"
872:Civil Action No. 1-96-CV-1355-JTC
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1259:Airlines disestablished in 1997
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549:Federal Aviation Administration
41:needs additional citations for
1188:Archive of the ValuJet website
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938:Lawrence, Neal (Autumn 1998).
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883:Stanford University Law School
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1:
1076:Huettel, Steve (2006-05-11).
1022:AIRTRAN HOLDINGS INC 20000330
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1254:Airlines established in 1993
902:. Retrieved on July 4, 2009.
471:that previously belonged to
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7:
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796:ValuJet Airlines Flight 592
791:ValuJet Airlines Flight 592
764:Miami International Airport
477:Atlantic Southeast Airlines
403:. It was headquartered in
220:November 17, 1997
10:
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578:chemical oxygen generators
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399:after joining forces with
202:October 26, 1993
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1279:Defunct low-cost airlines
896:ValuJet Airlines routemap
844:"AirTran Airways History"
664:McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
658:McDonnell Douglas DC-9-21
587:Transportation Department
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345:Maurice J. Gallagher Jr.
850:. AirTran Airways. 2011
732:Accidents and incidents
693:McDonnell Douglas MD-95
687:McDonnell Douglas MD-83
681:McDonnell Douglas MD-82
675:McDonnell Douglas MD-81
643:McDonnell Douglas DC-9s
423:suffered major losses.
408:Clayton County, Georgia
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469:McDonnell Douglas DC-9
389:ultra low-cost airline
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1065:. September 24, 1997.
940:"Danger in the Skies"
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695:(previously on order)
568:, a DC-9 flying from
412:Eastern United States
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1082:St. Petersburg Times
603:Continental Airlines
536:In August 1995, the
493:Continental Airlines
199:Commenced operations
50:improve this article
900:Departedflights.com
749:On June 8, 1995, a
645:, along with a few
420:crash of Flight 592
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918:The New York Times
877:2007-09-07 at the
848:airtranairways.com
800:Florida Everglades
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581:supervising them.
436:Southwest Airlines
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65:"ValuJet Airlines"
942:. Midwest Today.
722:Washington Dulles
542:quality assurance
505:McDonnell Douglas
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39:This article
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1162:
1150:. Retrieved
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1128:. Retrieved
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1107:. Retrieved
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710:Philadelphia
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700:Destinations
666:(1 crash in
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310:Headquarters
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48:Please help
43:verification
40:
1038:www.sec.gov
481:Air Midwest
368:valujet.com
1248:Categories
1152:August 17,
1130:August 17,
1109:2018-02-08
1044:2021-07-05
975:2012-10-07
854:2011-01-10
827:References
785:Flight 592
737:Flight 597
668:Flight 592
566:Flight 592
525:outsourced
509:Boeing 717
328:Key people
224:1997-11-17
206:1993-10-26
76:newspapers
1214:Companies
491:; former
447:Inception
349:President
21:Value Jet
1226:Aviation
950:June 18,
944:Archived
875:Archived
815:See also
759:Shrapnel
337:Chairman
170:CRITTER
158:Callsign
1200:Portals
970:Pbs.org
809:Atlanta
751:DC-9-32
706:Orlando
623:Orlando
619:Atlanta
574:Atlanta
553:FAR 121
479:(ASA),
457:Orlando
453:Atlanta
442:History
391:in the
387:was an
364:Website
318:Georgia
286:Orlando
265:Atlanta
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97:JSTOR
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1154:2012
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952:2010
773:The
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547:The
495:and
418:The
186:1992
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167:VJA
153:ICAO
148:IATA
69:news
1063:CNN
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