Pilot's harrowing final words before plane erupted in fireball just after take-off

A plane carrying 108 people plummeted to earth moments after take-off in a devastating crash that killed 14 people and left 76 others injured.

The pilot's final words, captured on the cockpit recording, were utterly chilling.

Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 was scheduled to travel from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas to Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah on August 31, 1988.

Within seconds of departure, the aircraft started rolling with the right wing plunging downwards, before the tail and subsequently the wingtip struck the runway.

The right wing collided with the ILS localiser antenna and burst into flames, reports the Express.

After remaining airborne for a further 120m, the aircraft smashed into the ground and skidded sideways before being engulfed by fire.

The plane was in the air for just 22 seconds in total.

The cockpit recording, documented in the National Transportation Safety Board's aircraft accident report, captured the exchange between the captain and co-pilot.

Moments before the disaster, the co-pilot can be heard shouting "engine failure".

The crew member then said "we got an engine failure", before adding "we're not gonna make it."

The pilot, however, simply responded with "full power" - his final words before the aircraft went down.

The tape transcription then records the "sound of first impact", followed by the second, third, and fourth impact, with only a "sound of scream" in between.

Eyewitnesses reported that as the plane sped down the runway, its wings were visibly rocking from side to side and the aircraft "appeared to be out of control".

The plane then vanished from sight after it crashed and "disappeared into a cloud of dust".

Captain Larry Lon Davis was recognised as a highly experienced pilot, with approximately 17,000 flying hours under his belt, many of which were in the same type of aircraft.

All but one of the fatalities were attributed to smoke inhalation. One passenger managed to escape the wreckage, but tragically died 11 days later from severe burns sustained when he attempted to return to the burning aircraft to help his wife and other passengers.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the likely cause of the crash was partly due to the "Captain and First Officer's inadequate cockpit discipline which resulted in the flightcrew's attempt to takeoff without the wing flaps and slats properly configured". Prior to the flight, the two pilots were overheard discussing birds.

The report also highlighted the "failure of the takeoff configuration warning system to alert the crew the airplane was not properly configured for the takeoff".

Delta's "slow implementation of necessary modifications to its operating procedures, manuals, checklists, training, and crew checking programs" also played a part in the accident, as did "the lack of sufficiently aggressive action by the FAA to have known deficiencies corrected by Delta and the lack of sufficient accountability within the FAA's air carrier inspection process".