Recent air crashes

Until the crash in Little Rock, Ark., there hadn't been a fatality on a US commercial airliner in almost two years. These are the most recent fatal crashes involving US airliners:

*July 17, 1996: A TWA 747 explodes off Long Island, New York, soon after takeoff. Mechanical malfunction is the suspected cause.

*May 11, 1996: A ValuJet DC-9 crashes into the Florida Everglades soon after takeoff. Flammable cargo ignited a fire on board.

*Dec. 20, 1995: An American Airlines 757 crashes in Cali, Colombia, upon approach. Pilot error may have been the cause.

*Oct. 31, 1994: An American Eagle ATR-72 crashes in Roselawn, Ind. Delay and icy weather contributed to the cause.

*Sept. 8, 1994: A USAir 737 crashes in Aliquippa, Pa., upon approach, killing 127 passengers.