- Date
- June 26, 1987, 21:05 local (Jun 27, 1987, 01:05 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 220 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N391EAMcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 15867
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Eal flight 23 experienced a rapid decompression during descent into Miami. Flight 23 departed lax with 3 flight crew, 8 f/a and 210 pax. On climbout the s/o observed that the manual outflow valve control wheel did not move toward the 1/2 closed position as it should have. Press system was being operated in semi-auto mode. S/o tried standby system, then went to manual. He observed that the manual control wheel was hard to move. S/o used manual control to cruise alt, then tried standby sys which held cabin alt. Upon descent to mia, the wheel moved rapidly to the open position. S/o was unable to close outflow valve using manual system-wheel would not move. Crew donned 02 masks and executed emgy descnt T0 10,000, at 5500 fpm. Acft was landed with outflow valve full open. One f/a suffered ruptured ear drum and one 02 generator canister caused smoke in cabin.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N391EA
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- N391EA
- Engine
- GE CF6-6D, 40,500 horsepower, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Eastern Airlines, doing business as Eastern Airlines
- Registered owner
- Eastern Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- LAX · Los Angeles, CA
- Destination
- MIA · Miami, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MIA · Miami Int'L, runway 9L, 10,502 × 200 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20,251 total · 676 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Lowest ceiling
- None