A 1973 plane crash led the FAA to ban smoking in airplane lavatories forever
A tragic 1973 fire aboard a flight to Paris changed aviation safety forever, leading to the strict global ban on smoking in airplane lavatories that remains in effect today.
In July 1973, Varig Flight 820 was forced to make a crash landing in a field near Orly Airport after a fire broke out in a rear lavatory. The cabin filled with toxic smoke so quickly that 123 people lost their lives, mostly from smoke inhalation before the plane even touched the ground.
There's more to this story — open the app to keep reading.
Continue Reading in App
1 more paragraphs · plus a 3-question quiz