Pulmonary fat and bone marrow embolism in aircraft accident victims

Abstract

On 28 November 1979, an Air New Zealand DC10 aircraft crashed into Mt Erebus, Antarctica with the loss of 257 passengers and crew. Postmortem examinations were carried out on 231 victims in Auckland, 4641 kilometres north of the crash site, and lung tissue was present in 205 cases. Pulmonary fat emboli were present in 134 cases (65%), pulmonary bone marrow emboli in 60 (29%) and pulmonary edema in 76 cases (37%). Clear relationships were demonstrated, firstly between the extent of fat and bone marrow embolism, secondly between the extent of fat and bone marrow embolism and the presence of pulmonary edema, and thirdly between the extent of fat and bone marrow embolism and the extent of cardiovascular damage. It was apparent that death had occurred immediately following impact, and the extent of fat and bone marrow embolism varied inversely with the severity of the injuries found. The most severely injured victims were those seated in the rear cabin of the aircraft suggesting that this was the site of impact with the ground. Our studies show that pulmonary fat embolism occurs very rapidly after severe injury and is followed by increasing numbers of fat and bone marrow emboli depending on the nature of the mortal injuries.