- Date
- May 28, 1985, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Jamaica, NY
- Injuries
- 212 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N108AAMcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 35814
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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
The forward one-third portion of the core cowl door on no. 3 engine separated in flight first striking the leading edge of the right wing, then puncturing the fuselage. Causing rapid decompression at FL 170. The core cowl door latches were not adjusted & core cowl door shear pins were not installed per Mcdonnell Douglas service bulletin no. 71-86. Dated may 12, 1985.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N108AA
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46508
- Engine
- GE CF6-6, 45,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- American Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- LGA · New York, NY
- Destination
- Dallas-Ft Worth, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 40° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F