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1989Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
On March 24, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez runs aground on Bligh Reef and spills almost 11 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil into Prince William Sound. To date, this is the largest single spill in U.S. coastal waters. The Alaska SAR Facility is able to use satellite data to track the oil spill.
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1989Engine Failure from Volcanic Ash
On Dec. 15, 1989, a Boeing-747 flying from Amsterdam with 231 passengers and 13 crewmen on board enters an ash cloud from Alaska's erupting Redoubt Volcano. All four of the plane's engines die and it takes eight minutes for pilots to restart them. The plane lands in Anchorage; there are no injuries. The plane incurs more than $80 million in damage.