1. 6
   10
2. 16
   50

After running tests in a rudimentary wind tunnel, Phillips became convinced the more wings the better. This resulted in an airplane that looked like privacy blinds and didn't fly.

1. pilot error
   a microburst
2. engine failure
   fuselage failure

After seven years of research done by NASA and the FAA, all airplanes were required to have a wind shear detection radar to avoid such an incident.

1. He held a chicken in each hand.
   He tied two boards to his arms.
2. He covered his back in feathers.
   He lit a rocket and climbed on.

This Turkish scholar attempted flight in about 1000 A.D. by jumping off the roof of a mosque in Nisabur, Arabia. Instead of flying, he fell to his death.

1. Alaska Airlines and TWA
   Virgin Airlines and TWA
2. TWA and United Airlines
   Delta and Southwest Airlines

Back in the late 1950s, these two airliners collided in mid-air, causing the United States to spend $250 million upgrading its air traffic control system nationwide.

1. The fuselage would crack.
   It ran out of fuel quickly.
2. The wings would tear off.
   It wasn't remotely aerodynamic.

This rocket-powered fighter was faster than any other plane in WWII, but it ran out of fuel in just eight minutes. Also, the T-Stoff oxidizing agent for the fuel combusted if it contacted leather or clothing, making refueling extremely dangerous.

1. Smoking was allowed on all flights.
   All flight attendants were male.
2. All flights were clothing-optional.
   Getting drunk on flights was encouraged.

The airline was announced in 2006, but the German financier who marched boldly ahead with the plan couldn't get enough funding, so it never became a reality.

1. nuclear reactor
   steam engine
2. diesel engine
   electric motor

The Aerial Steam Carriage was patented in 1843. It featured a fixed single wing, plus a structural design similar to modern airplanes, but it never flew.

1. He broke both his legs.
   He moved to a cabin and never spoke to anyone again.
2. He died.
   He was burned at the stake for witchcraft.

Torto, a Portuguese inventor, created cloth wings and a helmet shaped like an eagle's head. Unfortunately, he fell straight to the ground after jumping off a cathedral tower.

1. pilot ejection
   restarting stalled engines
2. manual flying
   tornado avoidance

The Airbus A330-200 had a fly-by-wire system that failed. The pilots lacked proper training to fly the plane manually, leading it to crash into the ocean, killing everyone aboard.

1. The wings chopped pilots in half
   The landing gear would snag the parachute ripcord.
2. The plane would explode right then.
   The engine was directly over the cockpit.

This wooden but highly aerodynamic plane was flown by teenage pilots with minimal training toward the end of WWII. In addition, the glue used ate through the wood.

1. A wing broke off.
   It ran out of fuel.
2. An engine exploded.
   The cockpit glass imploded.

The DC-8 experienced landing gear problems and circled in the air for too long. The captain ignored the flight engineer's warnings that the fuel was almost depleted, and the plane crashed in a Portland suburb.

1. It never crashed a plane in 50 years.
   It was the "world's first carbon-neutral airline."
2. All its flight attendants were doctors.
   Each plane was first class seating only.

In 2008, after two years of operating, Silverjet's fleet of three airplanes was permanently grounded. It was based at London's Luton Airport.

1. engine
   wing design
2. cockpit design
   landing gear

This fighter, which was the staple of the Warsaw Pact, had a cramped cockpit pilots hated. Visibility was horrible, plus the plane wasn't very maneuverable.

1. rear engine failure
   malfunctioning lavatory
2. short in the instrument panel
   bird striking the wing

The rear engine failure severed the hydraulic lines for the plane, giving the pilot almost no control. Amazingly, only 111 of the 296 aboard perished in the catastrophic crash.

1. the nose
   the jet engines
2. square windows
   the landing gear

The world's first jet airliner was advanced in many ways, but the square windows placed too much stress on the plane's frame, causing several to break up at altitude.

1. a bird
   a cloud
2. a wall
   rain

The aircraft ran on a sloping wire for 33 feet, and in testing it supposedly was climbing in altitude some before it hit the wall.

1. 2
   4
2. 6
   9

Caproni, an Italian plane manufacturer, thought that this airliner with nine wings and eight engines would be extremely stable. On its second test flight, the plane crashed after reaching an altitude of 60 feet.

1. engine
   cockpit
2. oven
   rear lavatory

After the plane landed, the whole cabin was engulfed in a flash fire, killing half of the passengers. As a result, all airplanes were required to have smoke detectors and automatic fire extinguishers in the lavatories.

1. The cargo door opening in flight.
   The engines all seizing at once.
2. The propellers catching on fire.
   The wings would rip off in turbulence.

The cargo door opened out instead of in, supposedly to allow for more room to load cargo. This made properly securing the door difficult, so it sometimes would open mid-flight, leading to horrific crashes.

1. in the belly
   in front of the propellers
2. in the tail
   on top of the pilot

This infamous WWI fighter was declared to be extremely unsafe for the gunner, per Royal Air Force commander Hugh Dowding.

1. Led Zeppelin
   Eliminator
2. Brick
   Smokey

This plane was supposed to be the U.S. Air Force's new training craft, but if an engine failed during takeoff and the landing gear was still deployed, the T-46 would surely crash.

1. food
   entertainment
2. instrument
   fuel

Arcing in the entertainment system triggered the fire that consumed the Mylar insulation in the fuselage, leading the plane to crash in the Atlantic Ocean, killing everyone aboard.

1. fuselage
   cockpit instruments
2. radar system
   right engine

Corrosion and general damage to the fuselage caused a big section to tear off, killing a flight attendant who was blown out of the airplane. Amazingly, the rest of the plane held together long enough for pilots to land safely.

1. getting shot out of a cannon
   attaching paddles to his legs and arms
2. flapping his arms hard
   a rudimentary hang glider

This Parisian marquis tried to fly from his mansion to some gardens on the other side of the river, but he landed on a barge and broke his leg instead.

1. jet
   helicopter
2. biplane
   rocket

Like the toys children use, Penaud's design used twisted rubber bands to spin the propellers. He also designed an airplane similar to what the Wright Brothers built, but when he couldn't get financial backing, Penaud committed suicide.

1. 5
   57
2. 94
   none

Thanks to a jammed valve in the rudder-control system, the plane rolled left and rapidly plunged toward the Earth, killing 132 people.

1. autopilot
   inflatable slides
2. cargo hold smoke detectors and fire suppression
   inflatable seat cushions

The fire that started in the airplane's cargo hold led to the death of 110 people as the flight crashed into the Everglades outside of Miami. The plane was carrying hazardous cargo.

1. bombing runs
   reconnaissance
2. delivering mail
   commercial transport

Ironically, the view from the cockpit was horrible, so this plane failed at its first job. It was also a failure later as a torpedo bomber and even a training aircraft.

1. locksmith
   engineer
2. baker
   candlestick maker

Besnier, who lived in Sable, France, created a system of two rods with wings attached to both ends, but it only allowed him to glide quite briefly.

1. stacked wing planes
   two elliptical closed wings
2. flapping wings
   rotors only

This strange French airplane was strikingly different from other designs right after the turn of the century, but it still failed to take flight.

1. broken neck
   several broken ribs
2. broken arm
   nothing

Desforges' flying machine was a gondola with a canopy and two wings, boasting a 20-foot wingspan. The attempt to fly off the local lookout tower Tour Guinette resulted in the craft immediately crashing.

1. There were five of them.
   They were only at the rear of the plane.
2. They were supposed to flap like a bird's.
   They were at a 45-degree angle.

Dr. William Whitney Christmas designed this airplane, earning him the distinction of the "greatest charlatan to ever see his name associated with an airplane," according to one famous historian.

1. armed terrorists
   a shoe bomb
2. a ground-to-air missile
   an explosion in a fuel tank

The center-wing fuel tank was almost empty. The fumes in it ignited, thanks to a short circuit, killing everyone aboard the plane.

1. The rearward guns would only work correctly if the plane was flying straight.
   They would overheat after ten seconds.
2. They jammed constantly.
   They would spontaneously combust.

Blackburn designed this airplane as an escort for bombers and strike planes, arming it with a four-machine-gun turret behind the pilot, which was a horrible design failure.

1. feathers glued to his arms
   a winged suit
2. a propeller on his head
   a sleek helmet

This comical attempt resulted in the Italian mathematician landing hard on the roof of Saint Mary's Church, near Lake Trasimeno.