- Date
- November 21, 1987, 23:07 local (Nov 22, 1987, 04:07 UTC)
- Place
- Newark, NJ
- Injuries
- 94 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N121AAMcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871121074009I
- Case key
- 22566
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
Immediately after the hard landing the captain was observed by the copilot and flight engineer to be incapacitated. The copilot took control of the airplane and guided it onto a high speed taxiway. With the aid of a flight attendant and the flight engineer manipulating the nose wheel steering the airplane was taxied safely to the gate. The captain was found to have died of myocardial infarction. The autopsy revealed severe occlusive artherosclerotic disease of several coronary arteries. The pilot had a long history of hypertension and gout, which had been under control until 18 months before the incident when a stress test was abnormal. The pilot did not receive the recommended follow-up care and failed to report this problem on his two subsequent applications for class 1 medical certificates, on which he falsely indicated that he was on a faa-approved health maintenance program administrered by American airlines.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N121AA
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46521
- Engine
- GE CF-6-6, 40,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Registered owner
- American Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ORD · Chicago, IL
- Destination
- EWR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- EWR · Newark International, runway 29, 6,800 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 14,550 total · 1,168 in this make and model · 200 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 310° at 19 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EWR
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.