View source for ValuJet Flight 592

{{Short description|1996 aviation accident in Florida}}
{{use mdy dates|date = July 2019}}
{{use American English|date = July 2019}}
{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| image           = ValuJet Flight 592 Crashsite 2.jpg
| caption         = Aerial view of the crash site
| occurrence_type = Accident
| date            = {{start date|1996|5|11}}
| summary         = [[In-flight fire]] leading to loss of control
| site            = [[Florida Everglades]], Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S.
| occupants       = 110
| passengers      = 105
| crew            = 5
| fatalities      = 110
| survivors       = 0
| aircraft_type   = [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32]]
| IATA            = J7592
| ICAO            = VJA592
| callsign        = CRITTER 592
| operator        = [[ValuJet Airlines]]
| tail_number     = N904VJ
| origin          = [[Miami International Airport]], Miami, Florida
| destination     = [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport]], Atlanta, Georgia
| coords          = {{coord|25|54|47|N|80|34|41|W|display=inline,title}}
| plane1_image    = N904VJ DC-9 Valujet.jpg
| plane1_caption  = N904VJ, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1995
}}
'''ValuJet Flight 592''' was a regularly scheduled flight from [[Miami International Airport|Miami]] to [[Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta]] in the United States. On May 11, 1996, the [[ValuJet Airlines]] [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]] operating the route crashed into the [[Florida Everglades]] about 10 minutes after departing Miami due to a [[in-flight fire|fire]] in the cargo compartment. The fire was caused by mislabeled and improperly stored [[chemical oxygen generator]]s. All 110 people on board were killed.<ref name="ntsb" /><ref name="asn">{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 N904VJ Everglades, FL |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19960511-0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230427020600/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19960511-0 |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |access-date=2020-05-13 |website=Aviation Safety Network |publisher=[[Flight Safety Foundation]]}}</ref>

ValuJet, a [[low-cost carrier]], already had a poor safety record before the crash and the incident brought widespread attention to the airline's problems. Its fleet was grounded for several months after the crash. When operations resumed, the airline was unable to attract as many customers as it had before the deadly crash. The airline acquired [[AirTran Airways]] in 1997 but the lingering damage to the ValuJet brand led its executives to assume the AirTran name. It is the deadliest plane crash in Florida history {{As of|2025|lc=y}}.

==Background==
[[ValuJet Airlines]] was founded in 1992 and was known for its aggressive [[cost-cutting]] measures. Many of the airline's planes were purchased in used condition from other airlines, and little training was provided to workers and contractors who were hired for maintenance and other services. ValuJet quickly developed a reputation for a lackluster safety record. In 1995, the United States military refused the airline's bid to fly its personnel due to safety concerns, and some officials at the [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) wanted the airline grounded.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Matthews|first1=Rick A.|last2=Kauzlarich|first2=David|title=The Crash of Valujet Flight 592: A Case Study in State-Corporate Crime|journal=Sociological Focus|date=1 August 2000|volume=33|issue=3|pages=281–298|doi=10.1080/00380237.2000.10571171|s2cid=159946923|issn=0038-0237}}</ref>

In 1986, an [[ATA Airlines|American Trans Air]] [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] being serviced at Chicago's [[O'Hare International Airport]] was destroyed on the ground by a fire caused by [[chemical oxygen generator]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 N184AT Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD) |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19860810-0 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604143247/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19860810-0 |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |access-date=22 July 2017 |website=Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}}</ref> On February 3, 1988, aboard [[American Airlines Flight 132]], a fire began in the cargo hold of the [[McDonnell Douglas MD-83]] while the plane was in flight, caused by hazardous materials (primarily [[hydrogen peroxide]]); in that case the crew landed the aircraft safely.<ref name="AA-88-123">{{cite web|title=Safety Recommendation A-88-123|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.recsearch/Recommendation.aspx?Rec=A-88-123|website=ntsb.gov|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130130922/https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.recsearch/Recommendation.aspx?Rec=A-88-123|archive-date=January 30, 2016|access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ranter |first=Harro |title=Incident McDonnell Douglas MD-83 N569AA, 03 Feb 1988 |url=https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=147066 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106095415/https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=147066 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |access-date=2020-05-13 |website=Aviation Safety Network |publisher=Flight Safety Foundation}}</ref> After Flight 132, the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) recommended to the FAA that all class D cargo holds be fitted with [[smoke detector]]s and [[fire-suppression system]]s. The FAA declined to implement the recommendation.<ref name=AA-88-123 />

==Aircraft and crew==
The aircraft, a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9|DC-9-32]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0029996&size=L&width=733&height=492&sok=JURER++%28pa+%3D+%2747377%2F496%27%29++BEQRE+OL+cubgb_vq+QRFP&photo_nr=5|title=Aviation Photo #0029996: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 - Valujet|website=Airliners.net|access-date=22 July 2017|archive-date=January 19, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119142503/https://www.airliners.net/photo/Valujet/McDonnell-Douglas-DC-9-32/29996|url-status=live}}</ref> registered N904VJ, was the 496th DC-9 assembled at the Long Beach plant.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} It was 27 years old and had been previously flown by [[Delta Air Lines]]. Its first flight occurred on April 18, 1969, and it was delivered to Delta on May 27, 1969 as N1281L. The airframe flew for Delta until the end of 1992, when it was retired and sold back to McDonnell Douglas. McDonnell Douglas then sold the plane to ValuJet in 1993.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} The aircraft was powered by two [[Pratt & Whitney JT8D|Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A]] turbofan engines.<ref name="asn" />

The aircraft had suffered a series of incidents in the two years before the crash, including two [[rejected takeoff|aborted takeoff]]s and eight [[emergency landing]]s. Engine and pressurization errors were the primary issues in several of the incidents. In May 1995, the FAA issued a rewiring directive for all DC-9 cockpits because the wire bundles in the switch panel could cause "fire and uncontrolled smoke throughout the cockpit as a result of chafing and shorting."<ref>{{cite news |last1= |first1= |date=May 15, 1996 |title=A TROUBLING HISTORY: MECHANICAL PROBLEMS DOGGED VALUJET PLANES |work=Sun Sentinel |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1996-05-15-9605150025-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=November 17, 2020 |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702154708/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1996-05-15-9605150025-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=MidwestToday/>

In the flight deck were two experienced pilots, Captain [[Candi Kubeck]] (35) and First Officer Richard Hazen (52). Kubeck had accumulated 8,928 total flight hours throughout her career (including 2,116 hours on the DC-9) and Hazen had more than 11,800 total flight hours throughout his career, with 2,148 on the DC-9.<ref name="ntsb" />

==Accident==
On the afternoon of May 11, 1996, Flight 592 left Gate G2 in Miami after a delay of one hour and four minutes because of electrical problems.<ref name="ntsb" /> There were 110 people on board: 105 passengers, mainly from Florida and Georgia, and a crew of two pilots and three flight attendants. At 2:04&nbsp;p.m. EDT, the DC-9 departed from Runway 9L (now Runway 8R) and began a normal climb.

At 2:10&nbsp;p.m., the passengers began to smell smoke. At the same time, the pilots heard a loud bang in their [[headset (audio)|headset]]s and noticed that the plane was losing electrical power. The sag in electrical power and the banging sound were eventually determined to be the result of an explosion of a tire in the cargo hold. Seconds later, a flight attendant entered the [[cockpit (aviation)|cockpit]] and informed the flight crew of a fire in the passenger cabin. Passengers' shouts of "fire, fire, fire" were recorded on the [[Flight recorder#Cockpit voice recorder|cockpit voice recorder]] (CVR) when the cockpit door was opened. Although ValuJet's flight-attendant training manual stated that the cockpit door should not be opened when smoke or other harmful gases might be present in the cabin, the intercom was not functional and there was no other  way to alert the pilots. The [[Flight recorder#Flight data recorder|flight data recorder]] (FDR) indicated a progressive failure of the DC-9's electrical and flight control systems resulting from the spreading fire.

Kubeck and Hazen immediately asked [[air traffic control]] to return to Miami and were given instructions for a return to the airport. One minute later, Hazen requested the nearest available airport. Kubeck began to turn the plane left in preparation for the return to Miami.

Flight 592 disappeared from radar when it crashed at 2:13:42&nbsp;p.m., about ten minutes after takeoff.

Eyewitnesses watched as the plane banked sharply, rolled onto its side and nosedived into the [[Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area]] in the Everglades, a few miles west of Miami, at a speed in excess of {{convert|507|mph|kn km/h}}. According to the NTSB's report, two witnesses fishing nearby testified that "they saw a low-flying airplane in a steep right bank. According to these witnesses, as the right bank angle increased, the nose of the airplane dropped and continued downward. The airplane struck the ground in a nearly vertical attitude."<ref name=ntsb/>{{rp|4}} They reported seeing no external damage nor any sign of fire or smoke other than the engine exhaust. A group of sightseers in a small private plane also witnessed the crash and provided a nearly identical account, stating that Flight 592 seemed to "disappear" after hitting the swamp and that they could see nothing but scattered small debris, part of an engine and a large pool of jet fuel near the crash site.

Kubeck had lost control of the plane less than 10 seconds before impact. Examination of debris suggested that the fire had burned through the floorboards in the cabin, resulting in structural failure and damage to cables underneath the instrument panels. The NTSB report on the accident stated that "the Safety Board cannot rule out the possibility that the flightcrew was incapacitated by smoke or heat in the cockpit during the last 7 seconds of the flight."<ref name="ntsb">{{cite web |date=August 19, 1997 |title=In-Flight Fire and Impact with Terrain, ValuJet Airlines Flight 592, DC-9-32, N904VJ, Everglades, Near Miami, Florida, May 11, 1996 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9706.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723084558/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9706.pdf |archive-date=July 23, 2015 |access-date=24 January 2016 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |place=Washington, D.C. |id=NTSB/AAR-97/06}}</ref><!--ERAU copy: https://libraryonline.erau.edu:443/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR97-06.pdf-->{{rp|107}} Interruptions in the cockpit voice recorder occurred on two occasions, one of which was one minute and 12 seconds in length.<ref name=ntsb/>{{rp|174}} The aircraft hit the water at 2:13:42&nbsp;p.m. EDT, about 10 minutes after takeoff. The impact site was on the eastern edge of Florida [[Water Conservation Area 3|Water Conservation Area 3B]], between two levees, in an area known as the L-67 Pocket.<ref name="ntsb" />{{Rp|page=4}}<ref name="Davis">{{Cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Steve |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yIBAHbgWxTAC&pg=PA604 |title=Everglades: The Ecosystem and Its Restoration |last2=Ogden |first2=John C. |date=1994-01-01 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-9634030-2-5 |language=en}}</ref>

All on board were killed in the crash. Recovery of the aircraft and victims was severely complicated by the location of the crash. The nearest road of any kind was more than a quarter of a mile (400 m) away from the crash scene, and the location of the crash itself was a deep-water swamp with a floor of solid [[limestone]]. The aircraft was destroyed on impact, with no large pieces of the fuselage remaining. [[Cladium|Sawgrass]], [[American alligator|alligator]]s and risk of [[bacteria]]l infection from cuts plagued searchers involved in the recovery effort.

==Victims==
{|class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:85%; text-align:center;"
|- style="background:#ccf;"
!Residencies<ref name=Paxlist/>|||Passengers|||Crew|||Total
|- valign=top
|align="left"| {{flag|United States}} || 99 || 5 || 104
|- valign=top
|align="left"| {{flag|United Kingdom}} || 2 || {{n/a|-}} || 2
|- valign=top
|align="left"| {{flag|Bahamas}} || 2 || {{n/a|-}} || 2
|- valign=top
|align="left"| Unspecified || 2 || {{n/a|-}} || 2
|- valign=top
|align="left"| '''Total''' || '''105''' || '''5''' || '''110'''
|}
[[File:Flight 592 memorial stone.jpg|thumb|right|Names of victims at memorial]]
Notable passengers killed on the flight included:<ref name=Paxlist>{{Cite news|date=May 13, 1996|title=Complete list of passengers and crew|work=[[CNN]]|url=https://www.cnn.com/US/9605/12/passenger.list/index.html|access-date=December 23, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118183117/http://www.cnn.com/US/9605/12/passenger.list/index.html|archive-date=November 18, 2007}}</ref>
* San Diego Chargers running back [[Rodney Culver]]
* Songwriter and musician [[Walter Hyatt]]
* DelMarie Walker, 38, the prime suspect in a murder in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=1997-02-27 |title=CASE CLOSED: POLICE SAY MURDERER DIED ON FLIGHT 592 |work=Sun Sentinel |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-02-27-9702270024-story.html |access-date=2022-04-05 |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630154359/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-02-27-9702270024-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Recovery of the passengers and crew took several weeks, and very few intact human remains were found given the sheer violence of the impact, immersion in swamp water and scavenging by wildlife. About 68 of the 110 victims were identified, in some cases from examining jawbones, and at least one individual [[Forensic dentistry|from a single tooth]].  A piece of torn flesh was proven to belong to Hazen, but Kubeck's remains were never found. Because of the adverse conditions, performing toxicology tests on the human remains to determine their exposure to fumes and smoke from the in-flight fire was not possible.<ref name="Fitzgerald">{{cite book |last=Fitzgerald |first=Allistair |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xDDSAgAAQBAJ&q=%22under-2-year-old+lap+child%22&pg=PA192 |title=Air Crash Investigations: Disaster in the Everglades - the Crash of Valujet flight 592 |date=2009-12-11 |publisher=Mabuhay Publishing |isbn=978-0-557-23626-8 |page=192 |access-date=May 4, 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220531141937/https://books.google.com/books?id=xDDSAgAAQBAJ&q=%22under-2-year-old+lap+child%22&pg=PA192 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Investigation==
[[File:Wreckage from ValuJet Flight 592.jpg| thumb|right | The pieces of the wreckage of Flight 592]]At the end of a 15-month investigation, the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) determined that the fire had developed in a cargo compartment below the passenger cabin.<ref name="ntsb" /> The cargo compartment was of a Class D design, in which fire suppression is accomplished by sealing the hold from outside air. Any fire in such an airtight compartment would quickly exhaust all available oxidizers and then extinguish itself. As the fire suppression can be accomplished without any intervention by the crew, such holds are not equipped with smoke detectors.

The NTSB determined that just before takeoff, 144 expired [[chemical oxygen generator]]s, each slightly larger than the size of a tennis-ball can, had been placed in the cargo compartment in five boxes marked COMAT (company material) by ValuJet's maintenance contractor SabreTech.<ref name="McArdle">{{cite news|last=McArdle|first=John|date=May 11, 2011|title=Indicted in 1996 ValuJet Crash, Airline Mechanic Still on EPA's Most-Wanted List|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/11/11greenwire-indicted-in-1996-valujet-crash-airline-mechanic-771.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live|access-date=24 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620124150/http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/11/11greenwire-indicted-in-1996-valujet-crash-airline-mechanic-771.html?pagewanted=all|archive-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref> This violated [[Federal Aviation Administration]] (FAA) regulations forbidding the transport of [[hazardous material]]s in passenger-aircraft cargo holds.{{efn|The generators had been removed from three MD-80s recently acquired by ValuJet; pre-MD-80 versions of the DC-9 do not use oxygen generators.<ref name="ntsb" />}} Failure to cover the generators' firing pins with the prescribed plastic caps made accidental activation much more likely. The investigation revealed that rather than covering the pins, maintenance personnel simply cut the cords attached to the pins or applied [[duct tape]] around the cans, and consumer-grade adhesive tape was also used to secure the ends. SabreTech employees indicated on the cargo manifest that the "oxy canisters", which were loosely packed in boxes that were each sealed with tape and bubble wrap, were "empty." ValuJet workers then loaded the boxes in the cargo hold in the mistaken belief that the devices were simply empty canisters that would be safe and legal to transport on a passenger aircraft.<ref name=Mayday-se12ep02>{{cite episode|series=[[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|Mayday]]|title=Fire in the Hold|season=12|number=2|date=10 August 2012}}</ref>

Chemical oxygen generators, when activated, produce [[oxygen]] for passengers if the plane suffers a decompression. However, they also produce a great quantity of heat because of the [[exothermic process|exothermic]] nature of the chemical reaction involved. Therefore, not only could the heat and generated oxygen start a fire, but the oxygen could also keep the fire burning.{{cn|date= October 2025}}

Investigators determined that one of the oxygen generators was likely triggered when the plane experienced a slight jolt while taxiing. As the aircraft taxied and took off, the generator began releasing heat that caused other canisters to activate. Each activation created more heat, which rapidly caused all of the generators to activate. The intense heat ignited a fire in the other materials in the cargo hold. The fire was worsened by the presence of two main aircraft tires, one of them mounted on a main wheel, and a nose tire and wheel that were also included in the list of materials shipped as COMAT.{{cn|date= October 2025}}

Laboratory testing showed that canisters of the same type could heat nearby materials up to {{convert|500|F|C}}. The oxygen from the generators fed the resulting fire in the cargo hold without any need for outside air, defeating the cargo hold's airtight design. A pop and jolt heard on the cockpit voice recording and correlated with a brief and dramatic spike in the [[altimeter]] reading in the flight data recording were attributed to the sudden cabin-pressure change caused by one of the wheels in the cargo hold exploding from the heat.<ref name=Mayday-se12ep02 /> Investigators also determined that in this process, the fire began to destroy control cables that ran to the back of the aircraft, which explained why the pilots began losing control before the plane crashed. The NTSB concluded that the aircraft was under positive control by the pilots until the time of the sharp right turn and dive immediately prior to impact.<ref name="ntsb" />

===Regulatory change===
Smoke detectors in the cargo holds can alert the flight crew of a fire long before the problem becomes apparent in the cabin, and a fire-suppression system buys valuable time to land the plane safely. This would prevent a scenario similar to Flight 592 in which the emergency had escalated well beyond the flight crew's ability to respond by the time that the problem had become apparent. In February 1998, the FAA issued revised standards requiring all Class D cargo holds to be converted by early 2001 to Class C or E; these types of holds have additional fire-detection and fire-suppression equipment.<ref name=Mayday-se12ep02/><ref>{{cite journal|title=Revised Standards for Cargo or Baggage Compartments in Transport Category Airplanes|journal=[[Federal Register]]|date=17 February 1998|url=http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgFinalRule.nsf/0/8BCA9CC022141F0B86256936004F5663?OpenDocument&Highlight=smoke%20detector|access-date=2008-10-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930094858/http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgFinalRule.nsf/0/8BCA9CC022141F0B86256936004F5663?OpenDocument&Highlight=smoke%20detector|archive-date=September 30, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Culpability===
The NTSB report placed responsibility for the accident on three parties:
* SabreTech, for improperly packaging and storing hazardous materials
* ValuJet, for not supervising SabreTech
* The FAA, for not mandating smoke-detection and fire-suppression systems in cargo holds as recommended in 1988 after a similar incident with [[American Airlines Flight 132]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA96MA054.aspx | title=DCA96MA054.aspx }}</ref>

[[File:Mauro Ociel Valenzuela-Reyes-Poster FBI.jpg|thumb|212x212px|FBI Wanted infographic of Valenzuela-Reyes]]
In 1997, a federal grand jury indicted SabreTech for mishandling hazardous materials, failing to train its employees in proper handling of hazardous materials, [[conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] and [[making false statements]]. SabreTech's maintenance supervisor Daniel Gonzalez and two mechanics who worked on the plane, Eugene Florence and Mauro Ociel Valenzuela-Reyes, were charged with conspiracy and making false statements. Two years later, having been found guilty on the mishandling hazardous materials and improper training charges, SabreTech was fined $2 million and ordered to pay $9 million in restitution. Gonzalez and Florence were acquitted on all charges, while Valenzuela failed to appear and was indicted ''[[trial in absentia|in absentia]]'' for [[contempt of court]].<ref name="USDOT">{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.gov/affairs/1999/oig1899.htm|title=Mechanic in SabreTech Case Indicted for Contempt of Court|publisher=[[United States Department of Transportation|USDOT]]|date=October 13, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080917120345/http://www.dot.gov/affairs/1999/oig1899.htm|archive-date=September 17, 2008}}</ref> A warrant was issued for Valenzuela's arrest in 2000, and he remains a fugitive as of 2025. In 2010, he was specifically highlighted in the EPA's announcement of a website to search for "environmental fugitives."<ref name="EPA">{{cite web |url=http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/ab2d81eb088f4a7e85257359003f5339/3556a77604683d228525751b00594755!OpenDocument |title=12/10/2008: Wanted: Environmental Fugitives/ Federal government launches first-ever environmental crimes fugitive web site |publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]] |access-date=2010-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609064356/http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/ab2d81eb088f4a7e85257359003f5339/3556a77604683d228525751b00594755!OpenDocument |archive-date=June 9, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Myrie">{{Cite news|last=Myrie|first=Donovan|date=2021-05-11|title=25 years since deadly ValuJet 592 crash, an airline mechanic remains on the run|work=WKMG-TV|url=https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/05/11/25-years-since-deadly-valujet-592-crash-an-airline-mechanic-remains-on-the-run/|access-date=2021-07-27|archive-date=July 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713191955/https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2021/05/11/25-years-since-deadly-valujet-592-crash-an-airline-mechanic-remains-on-the-run/|url-status=live}}</ref> The FBI has offered a $10,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.<ref name="CBS">{{Cite news |date=April 6, 2018 |title=ValuJet Flight 592 crash: FBI offers $10,000 for info on fugitive in deadly 1996 crash |work=CBS News |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/valujet-flight-592-crash-fbi-reward-fugitive-aviation-disaster-mauro-ociel-valenzuela-reyes/ |url-status=live |access-date=2018-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406123510/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/valujet-flight-592-crash-fbi-reward-fugitive-aviation-disaster-mauro-ociel-valenzuela-reyes/ |archive-date=April 6, 2018}}</ref><ref name="FBI">{{cite news |title=New Reward for Fugitive in 1996 ValuJet Crash |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-reward-for-fugitive-in-1996-valujet-crash-040518 |access-date=16 July 2021 |agency=Federal Bureau of Investigation |date=5 April 2018 |archive-date=June 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618130108/https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/new-reward-for-fugitive-in-1996-valujet-crash-040518 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2001, SabreTech agreed to pay $2.25 million in fines to the FAA (later reduced to $1.75 million), but did not admit wrongdoing.<ref name="Myrie"/> In November 2001, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit|United States 11th Circuit Court of Appeals]] overturned most of the verdict against SabreTech. It found that at the time, federal law did not support criminal penalties for reckless violations of hazmat regulations. SabreTech had been convicted of violating the [[Hazardous Materials Transportation Act]], which did not provide criminal penalties for reckless violations of the act. However, the 11th Circuit did allow the conviction for improper training to stand, and remanded that count to a lower court for resentencing. In 2002, federal judge [[James Lawrence King]] sentenced SabreTech to a $500,000 fine and three years' probation.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Wald |first=Matthew |date=November 1, 2001 |title=Appeals Court Is Rejecting 8 Convictions In '96 Crash |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/01/us/appeals-court-is-rejecting-8-convictions-in-96-crash.html |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name="CBSAP">{{cite news |date=August 28, 2002 |title=Fine levied in ValuJet Crash |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fine-levied-in-valujet-crash/ |work=[[CBS News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref>

Just before the federal trial, a Florida grand jury indicted SabreTech on 110 counts of [[manslaughter]] and another 110 counts of [[third-degree murder]]: one for each person who died in the crash. SabreTech settled the state charges by agreeing to plead [[nolo contendere|no contest]] to a state charge of mishandling hazardous materials and make a $500,000 donation to promote aviation safety.<ref name="Myrie"/>

SabreTech was the first American aviation company to be criminally prosecuted and convicted for its role in an American airline crash. The company, a subsidiary of [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]-based [[Sabreliner Corporation]], went out of business in 1999.<ref name="Myrie"/><ref name=CBSAP/>

ValuJet was grounded by the FAA on June 16, 1996. It was allowed to resume flying again on September 30, but never recovered from the crash.<ref name="Fishman">{{cite journal|last1=Fishman|first1=Donald A.|title=ValuJet flight 592: Crisis Communication Theory Blended and Extended|journal=Communication Quarterly|date=1 September 1999|volume=47|issue=4|pages=345–375|doi=10.1080/01463379909385567|issn=0146-3373}}</ref> In 1997, the company acquired [[AirTran Airways]]. Although ValuJet was the nominal survivor, the merged airline took the AirTran name. ValuJet executives believed that a new name was important to regain the trust of the flying public. AirTran made little mention of its past as ValuJet, though it did not make any major announcements on the crash's 10th anniversary out of respect for the victims. In 2011, AirTran was purchased by Southwest Airlines.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Southwest Airlines Says it Intends to Close on AirTran Acquisition May 2, 2011 |url=https://swamedia.com/releases/release-b39418665ce94ae994730f004db070a3-Southwest-Airlines-Says-it-Intends-to-Close-on-AirTran-Acquisition-May-2 |access-date=2022-08-19 |website=Southwest Airlines Newsroom |date=April 21, 2011 |language=en |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819184948/https://swamedia.com/releases/release-b39418665ce94ae994730f004db070a3-Southwest-Airlines-Says-it-Intends-to-Close-on-AirTran-Acquisition-May-2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Huettel |first=Steve |date=May 11, 2006 |title=10 years after tragedy, AirTran flies on |work=[[Tampa Bay Times|St. Petersburg Times]] |url=http://www.tampabay.com/2006/05/11/Business/10_years_after_traged.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012092333/http://www.tampabay.com/2006/05/11/Business/10_years_after_traged.shtml |archive-date=October 12, 2012}}</ref>

Many families of Flight 592's victims were outraged that ValuJet was not prosecuted, given the airline's poor safety record. ValuJet's accident rate was not only 14 times higher than that of legacy airlines, but one of the highest in the low-fare sector as well. In the aftermath of the crash, an internal FAA memo surfaced questioning whether ValuJet should have been allowed to stay in the air.<ref name=MidwestToday>{{cite web|url=http://www.midtod.com/98autumn/airline.phtml|title=Danger in the Skies|last=Lawrence|first=Neal|publisher=Midwest Today|date=Autumn 1998|access-date=June 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208194749/http://www.midtod.com/98autumn/airline.phtml|archive-date=February 8, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The victims' families also point to statements made by ValuJet's officials immediately after the crash that led many to believe that ValuJet knew that the generators were on the plane and had ordered them returned to Atlanta rather than properly disposed in Miami.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 12, 1999 |title=US Attorneys' Office Ignores Critical Evidence in the Valujet Crash: Valujet admitted oxygen generators were to be returned |url=http://www.flight592.com/indictments.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113100235/http://www.flight592.com/indictments.htm |archive-date=January 13, 2007 |website=flight592.com}}</ref>

==Legacy==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:vjmem.jpg|thumb|Everglades memorial]] -->

On the third anniversary of the accident in 1999, a memorial to the victims was dedicated in the Everglades. The memorial, consisting of 110 concrete pillars, is located just north of the [[Tamiami Trail]] highway, about 12 miles west of [[Krome Avenue]] in Miami-Dade County. It points to the location of the crash site 12 miles to the north-northeast. Students from the [[American Institute of Architecture Students]] designed the memorial, and local contractors, masons and labor unions built it for free.<ref>{{cite news |date=1999-05-13 |title=Crash Memorial Moving, Welcome |work=Sun Sentinel |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1999-05-13/news/9905120786_1_crash-site-plane-airline-tragedy |access-date=22 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822182727/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1999-05-13/news/9905120786_1_crash-site-plane-airline-tragedy |archive-date=August 22, 2017}}</ref>
[[File:ValuJet Flight 592 Memorial toward East.jpg|thumb|Looking across the memorial eastward]]
In a June 4, 2013, ''[[Miami Herald]]'' article, a local resident stated that while slogging through the sawgrass several months earlier, he had found a partially melted gold pendant in the same area. It is believed to have been a possession of a victim of either the ValuJet crash or the 1972 crash of [[Eastern Air Lines Flight 401]], which had occurred about {{convert|2|mi}} from the ValuJet crash site.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-06-08 |title=Expert Confirms Mysterious Pendant Likely Remnant of Everglades Plane Crashes |url=https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/expert-confirms-mysterious-pendant-likely-remnant-of-everglades-plane-crashes/1939954/?amp=1 |access-date=2025-01-30 |work=NBC 6 South Florida |language=en-US}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Three [[National Geographic (American TV channel)|National Geographic]] shows, ''Why Planes Crash'' ("Fire in the Sky"), [[Seconds From Disaster#Episodes|''Seconds from Disaster'']] ("Florida Swamp Air Crash") and [[Mayday (Canadian TV series)|''Mayday'']] ("Fire in the Hold"),<ref name=Mayday-se12ep02/> covered the crash. It was also featured in the last episode of the four-part [[Travel Channel]] series ''Probable Cause: Air Crash Investigations'' and in an episode of ''[[Cops (TV program)|Cops]]'' being filmed in the Miami area at the time. The [[Golden Parachute (CSI: Miami)|series premiere]] of ''[[CSI: Miami]]'' also referenced elements of the crash such as the Everglades search.

==See also==
*[[List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft]]
*[[Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705]], a 1963 accident in which a [[Boeing 720]] crashed into the Florida Everglades south-west of where Flight 592 crashed.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite magazine |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199803/valujet-crash |title=The Lessons of Valujet 592 |last=Langewiesche |first=William |author-link=William Langewiesche |magazine=[[The Atlantic]] |issn=2151-9463 |date=March 1, 1998}} – Langewiesche presents a case that the ValuJet crash is an example of a "[[system accident]]," including the overly formal labeling and safety information on the oxygen 'canisters' (which actually were oxygen generators).
* {{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984555,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111215110/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984555,00.html |url-access=subscription |archive-date=November 11, 2007 |title=Death in the Everglades |last=Larson |first=Eric |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|TIME]] |date=May 20, 1996}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20010913011223/http://edition.cnn.com/US/valujet.592/ Flight 592 special report (CNN)]
* [https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20001208X05743&key=1 NTSB brief report]
* [https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9706.pdf NTSB full report] (PDF)
* [https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/epa-fugitives Valenzuela's post on US EPA's Fugitive Site ]
*[https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/additional/mauro-ociel-valenzuela-reyes Valenzuela's post on US FBI's Most Wanted list] 
* [http://www.hazmat-news.com/archives/valujettranscri.html Audio transcript of the Air Traffic Control conversations]
* {{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9705/valujet/the.accident/ |title=Valujet: The Crash of Flight 592 – The Accident |work=[[CNN]] |year=1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816192624/http://www.cnn.com/US/9705/valujet/the.accident/ |archive-date=August 16, 2000}}
* Tester, Hank. "[http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Value-Jet-Fifthteen-Year-Anniversary-121588334.html ValuJet Crash Remembered 15 Years Later]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20150218094118/http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Value-Jet-Fifthteen-Year-Anniversary-121588334.html Archive]). NBC Miami. Wednesday May 11, 2011.
* {{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9501E1DB103AF93AA25752C1A960958260|title=Valujet 592's Last Flight|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 19, 1996}} – Transcript of the Valujet 592 flight recorder.
* [https://www.google.com/maps/place/ValuJet+Flight+592+Memorial,+US-41,+Miami,+FL+33194/@25.7618005,-80.6742422,17z Memorial location] on [[Google Maps]]
* [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6HNC_ValuJet_Flight_592_Memorial_Everglades_National_Park ValuJet Flight 592 Memorial]

==External links==
* {{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E4D8103EF934A35751C1A96F958260|title=Contractor Found Guilty in Trial on ValuJet Crash|last=Bragg|first=Rick|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 7, 1999}}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2010-09-27-southwest-airtran-merger_N.ht |title=Low-fare king Southwest to buy AirTran for $1.4 billion |last1=Reed |first1=Dan |last2=Jones |first2=Charisse |date=September 28, 2010 |work=USA Today |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621214105/https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2010-09-27-southwest-airtran-merger_N.ht |archive-date=2015-06-21}}
* [http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0070503&size=L&width=1024&height=627&sok=JURER%20%20%28ert%20%3D%20%27A1281Y%27%29%20%20BEQRE%20OL%20cubgb_vq%20QRFP&photo_nr=2 Photo of the plane after being retired by Delta and bought by Valujet]
* [http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0029996&size=L&width=733&height=492&sok=JURER%20%20%28pa%20%3D%20%2747377%2F496%27%29%20%20BEQRE%20OL%20cubgb_vq%20QRFP&photo_nr=5 Photo of the plane while in service with Valujet]
* {{cite web |url=http://www.flight592.com/TheGallery/passenge.htm |title=Passenger list and gallery |website=flight592.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614161529/http://www.flight592.com/TheGallery/passenge.htm |archive-date=June 14, 2007 }}

{{McDonnell Douglas DC-9 family}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1996}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1990s}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Valujet Flight 592}}
[[Category:ValuJet Airlines accidents and incidents]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1996]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in Florida]]
[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas DC-9]]
[[Category:1996 in Florida]]
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by in-flight fires]]
[[Category:Everglades]]
[[Category:Miami-Dade County, Florida]]
[[Category:May 1996 in the United States]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Florida]]