- Date
- January 10, 1988, 07:28 local (13:28 UTC)
- Place
- Dfw Airport, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 290 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N142AAMcdonnell Douglas DC-10
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880110013839I
- Case key
- 22607
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Unexpected opening of the IL door, which caught the passenger between it and the bulkhead as the door moved inward and upward. A secondary cause was the failure of the flight attendants to follow company procedures requiring them to guard all entry doors during the deplaning process.
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
While deplaning, a passenger (pax) from the 1st row of the cabin was removing carry-on luggage from a compartment in theforward bulkhead, adjacent to the 1L entry door, as other pax were exiting via the 2L door. None of the flt attendants were monitoring the forward (1L) door, which was not in compliance with company procedures. Unexpectantly, a gate agent opened the 1L door from the outside. As it moved inward & upward, the pax's head & left shoulder were caught between the door & the forward bulkhead, causing him to be carried up with the door. He then fell to the cabin floor as the door went fully open, sustaining a fractured arm. The compartment was normally used by crew only, but was utilized in this case due to lack of other space.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N142AA
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46714
- Engine
- GE CF6, 52,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- American Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- HNL · Honolulu, HI
- Destination
- DFW
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DFW · Dfw
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 23,000 total · 1,820 in this make and model · 155 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N142AA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.