- Date
- March 26, 1987, 10:49 local (18:49 UTC)
- Place
- Tuba City, AZ
- Injuries
- 173 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N151AAMcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 10, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870326016489I
- Case key
- 40542
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
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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 engaged in cruise on a scheduled transcontinental flight from new york to los angeles, several stage 1 high pressure turbine rotor blades within the #1 engine separated without warning from their platforms. The initial separation was found to have originated at a blade forward cooling hole and was determined to be fatigue induced. The fatigue was most likely brought on by a degradation of the cooling airflow pattern within the blade induced by an airflow leak not associated with the blade cooling holes. The blade separations resulted in disintegration of the high pressure turbine assembly and subsequent engine failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N151AA
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46706
- Airframe hours
- 42,237
- Engine
- GE CF6-6K, 40,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- C.I.T. Group/Equip Fin. Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- JFK · New York, NY
- Destination
- LAX · Los Angeles, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 17,641 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAS, 180 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.