As of February 2025, the DC-10 had been involved in 55
accidents and incidents, including 32
hull-loss accidents, with 1,261 occupant fatalities. Of these accidents and incidents, it has been involved in nine
hijackings resulting in one death and a
bombing resulting in 170 occupant fatalities. the DC-10 has proved to be a reliable aircraft with a low overall accident rate as of 1998. The DC-10's initially poor safety record has continuously improved as design flaws were rectified and fleet hours increased.
Cargo door issues The DC-10 has cargo doors that open outward; this allows the cargo area to be completely filled, as the doors do not occupy otherwise usable interior space when open. To overcome the outward force from
pressurization of the fuselage at high altitudes, outward-opening doors must use heavy locking mechanisms. In the event of a door lock malfunction, there is greater potential for
explosive decompression. On June 12, 1972,
American Airlines Flight 96 lost its
aft cargo door above
Windsor, Ontario. Before takeoff, the door appeared secure, but the internal locking mechanism was not fully engaged. When the aircraft reached approximately in altitude, the door blew out, and the resulting explosive decompression collapsed the cabin floor. Many control cables to the
empennage were cut, leaving the pilots with very limited control of the aircraft. Despite this, the crew performed a safe emergency landing. US
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators found the cargo-door design to be dangerously flawed, as the door could be closed without the locking mechanism fully engaged, and this condition was not apparent from visual inspection of the door nor from the cargo-door indicator in the cockpit. The NTSB recommended modifications to make it readily apparent to baggage handlers when the door was not secured and also recommended adding vents to the cabin floor so that the pressure difference between the cabin and cargo bay during decompression could quickly equalize without causing further damage. Although many carriers voluntarily modified the cargo doors, no
airworthiness directive was issued, due to a
gentlemen's agreement between the head of the FAA,
John H. Shaffer, and the head of McDonnell Douglas's aircraft division, Jackson McGowen. McDonnell Douglas made some modifications to the cargo door, but the basic design remained unchanged, and problems persisted. On March 3, 1974, in an accident circumstantially similar to American Airlines Flight 96, a cargo-door blowout caused
Turkish Airlines Flight 981 to crash near
Ermenonville, France; with 346 passengers and crew fatalities, this was the deadliest air crash in history, and it remains the deadliest single-aircraft accident without survivors. The cargo door of Flight 981 had not been fully locked, though it appeared so to both cockpit crew and ground personnel. The Turkish aircraft had a seating configuration that exacerbated the effects of decompression, and as the cabin floor collapsed into the cargo bay, control cables were severed and the aircraft became uncontrollable. Following this crash, a special subcommittee of the
United States House of Representatives investigated the cargo-door issue and the certification by the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the original design. The DC-10 experienced no more major incidents related to its cargo door after FAA-approved changes were made. Following the crash, the FAA withdrew the DC-10's
type certificate on June 6, 1979, grounding all US-registered DC-10s and those from nations with agreements with the United States, and banning all DC-10s from US airspace. These measures were rescinded five weeks later on July 13, 1979, after the slat actuation and position systems were modified, along with stall warning and power supply changes. In November 1979, the FAA fined American Airlines for removing the engine and its pylon as a single unit in its maintenance procedure, thus damaging the structure and causing the engine separation, rather than removing the engine from the pylon before removing the pylon from the wing as advised by McDonnell Douglas. On July 19, 1989,
United Airlines Flight 232 crashed at
Sioux City, Iowa, after an
uncontained engine failure of the tail engine earlier in the flight disabled all hydraulic systems and rendered most flight controls inoperable. The flight crew, assisted by a
deadheading DC-10 flight instructor, performed a partially controlled emergency landing by constantly adjusting the thrust of the remaining two engines; 184 people on board survived, but 112 others died, and the aircraft was destroyed. Following the accident,
hydraulic fuses were installed in the #3 hydraulic system below the tail engine on all DC-10 aircraft to ensure that sufficient control remains if all three hydraulic systems are damaged in this area. On November 14, 2025, the FAA issued an
emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) grounding the US DC-10 fleet in the aftermath of
UPS Airlines Flight 2976, an MD-11 which crashed ten days earlier after an engine pylon separation circumstantially similar to American Airlines Flight 191; the MD-11 is a direct derivative of the DC-10 with similar engine pylons. An initial EAD grounded the MD-11 only, but the November 14 revision extended the order to cover other DC-10 models. The updated EAD was expected to primarily affect
10 Tanker Air Carrier and
Omega Aerial Refueling Services, which operated most of the remaining airworthy US-based DC-10s. The EAD states that an affected aircraft must remain grounded until "[it] is inspected and all applicable corrective actions are performed" under protocols that were yet to be approved.
Other accidents with fatalities • November 3, 1973:
National Airlines Flight 27, a DC-10-10 cruising at , experienced an uncontained failure of the right engine. One cabin window separated from the fuselage after it was struck by debris flung from the exploding engine. The passenger sitting next to that window was killed and ejected from the aircraft. The crew initiated an emergency descent and landed the aircraft safely. • March 1, 1978:
Continental Airlines Flight 603, a DC-10-10, commenced a takeoff from
Los Angeles International Airport when the
recapped tread of a tire on the left main landing gear separated, causing the blowout of two adjacent tires, which ruptured a fuel tank. This, combined with excessive heat from the rejected takeoff, resulted in a massive fire. Two passengers were killed in the ensuing evacuation and two died later from injuries sustained in the accident. • October 31, 1979:
Western Airlines Flight 2605, a DC-10-10, collided with construction equipment after landing on a closed runway at Mexico City International Airport, killing 72 of the 88 people on board and one person on the ground. The crash was caused by failure to follow proper landing guidelines in consideration of the fog on the runway. • November 28, 1979:
Air New Zealand Flight 901, DC-10-30 ZK-NZP, crashed into
Mount Erebus on
Ross Island, Antarctica during a sightseeing flight over the continent, killing all 257 on board. The accident was caused by the flight coordinates being altered without the flight crew's knowledge, combined with unique Antarctic weather conditions. • January 23, 1982:
World Airways Flight 30, DC-10-30CF registration N113WA, overran the runway at
Boston Logan International Airport and slid into the shallow water of Boston Harbor. Two of the 200 passengers were not found; all other passengers and the 12 crew members survived. • September 13, 1982:
Spantax Flight 995, DC-10-30CF EC-DEG, was destroyed by fire after an aborted take-off at
Málaga, Spain. A total of 50 passengers were killed and 110 injured due to the flames. • July 24, 1987:
Air Afrique Flight 056, flying from
Fiumicino Airport, Italy, to
Charles de Gaulle Airport, France, was hijacked immediately after departure. The aircraft thereafter landed at
Geneva, Switzerland, for refueling. During the stopover, the hijacker executed a 28-year-old passenger. The aircraft was later stormed by Swiss police and the hijacker was subdued. • July 27, 1989:
Korean Air Flight 803, DC-10-30 HL7328, crashed short of the runway in bad weather while trying to land at
Tripoli, Libya. Seventy-five of the 199 on board plus another four people on the ground were killed in the accident. • September 19, 1989:
UTA Flight 772, DC-10-30 N54629, crashed in the
Ténéré Desert in
Niger following an in-flight bomb explosion, killing all 170 people on board. • December 21, 1992:
Martinair Flight 495, DC-10-30CF PH-MBN, crashed while landing in bad weather at
Faro, Portugal, killing 54 passengers and crew. • June 13, 1996:
Garuda Indonesia Flight 865, DC-10-30 PK-GIE, had just taken off from
Fukuoka Airport, Japan, when a high-pressure blade from the right engine separated. The aircraft was just a few feet above the runway, and the pilot decided to abort the takeoff. Consequently, the DC-10 skidded off the runway and came to a halt past it, losing one of its engines and its landing gear. Three passengers perished in the accident. • December 21, 1999:
Cubana de Aviación Flight 1216, DC-10-30 F-GTDI, overran the runway at
La Aurora International Airport,
Guatemala City. Eight passengers and eight crew members on board were killed, as were two people on the ground.
Other hull losses • December 17, 1973:
Iberia Airlines Flight 933 crashed and struck the ALS system at
Boston Logan International Airport which collapsed the front landing gear. All 168 passengers and crew survived. This is the first hull loss of a DC-10 aircraft. • November 12, 1975:
Overseas National Airways (ONA) Flight 032, DC-10-30CF N1032F, accelerated through a flock of seagulls during its takeoff roll from
John F. Kennedy International Airport on a
ferry flight. The captain initiated a
rejected takeoff, but the right-hand engine sustained an uncontained failure, causing partial failures of the braking and hydraulic systems and blowouts of several main landing gear tires. The pilots steered off the runway to avoid plowing into a
blast fence, collapsing the landing gear and rupturing a fuel tank; the ensuing fire destroyed the aircraft. All 139 on board—all ONA employees—survived with 32 suffering injuries.
General Electric Aircraft Engines dissented from the NTSB's conclusion that the
bird strike caused the accident, stating that the engine failure was caused by ingestion of debris from a wheel and tire failure prior to the collision with the gulls. • January 2, 1976:
Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 5130, DC-10-30CF N1031F leased from ONA, landed short of the runway at
Istanbul-Yesilköy Airport, tearing off the left-hand engine and the left and center main landing gear. All 362 passengers evacuated safely while one of thirteen crew members was injured. The accident was attributed to an excessively low approach, possibly caused by the first officer using the
radar altimeter for altitude reference over irregular terrain. • December 3, 1983:
Korean Air Lines Flight 084, DC-10-30 freighter HL7339, collided head-on during the takeoff roll with SouthCentral Air Flight 59,
Piper PA-31 N35206, which was taking off from
Anchorage International Airport. The Piper struck the DC-10's left and center main landing gear and three passengers sustained minor injuries; the DC-10 overran the runway and the three crew suffered serious injuries. Investigators determined that the Korean Air Lines pilot became disoriented taxiing in fog, failed to follow correct procedures and confirm his position, and accidentally initiated takeoff from the wrong runway. • May 21, 1988: American Airlines Flight 70, DC-10-30 N136AA, overran Runway 35L at
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) after the flight crew attempted a rejected takeoff. Two crew were seriously injured and the remaining 12 crew and 240 passengers escaped safely. The accident was attributed to a shortcoming in the original design standards; no requirement had existed to test whether partially worn
brake pads could stop the aircraft during a rejected takeoff, and 8 of the 10 worn pad sets had failed. • April 14, 1993:
American Airlines Flight 102, DC-10-30 N139AA, skidded off the runway on landing at DFW in a rainstorm, collapsing the nose and left main landing gear and badly damaging the left-hand engine and wing. Two passengers suffered serious injuries during the emergency evacuation, while the remaining 187 passengers and 13 crew escaped safely. The NTSB attributed the crash to poor directional control technique by the captain. • September 5, 1996:
FedEx Express Flight 1406, DC-10-10F N68055, suffered an in-flight cargo fire while flying from Memphis, Tennessee to Boston, Massachusetts. The aircraft made a successful emergency landing at
Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York, however after evacuating all 5 crew members the aircraft was consumed by fire and destroyed. • December 18, 2003:
FedEx Express Flight 647, MD-10-10F N364FE, was destroyed by fire after the right main landing gear collapsed due to a
hard landing at Memphis International Airport. One of the two pilots and one of the five passengers—all deadheading FedEx employees—suffered minor injuries in the emergency evacuation. • July 28, 2006:
FedEx Express Flight 630, MD-10-10F N391FE, departed runway 18R and burned out at Memphis International Airport following the collapse of the left main landing gear. The two pilots and a single passenger suffered minor injuries during the emergency evacuation. The accident was attributed to improper landing gear maintenance. • October 28, 2016:
FedEx Express Flight 910, MD-10-10F N370FE, partially exited the runway at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport following the collapse of the left main landing gear. The accident was attributed to improper landing gear maintenance.
Other notable incidents • November 26, 1975:
American Airlines Flight 182, a DC-10-10, was involved in a near mid-air collision with TWA Flight 37, a L-1011, over Michigan. 24 on board the DC-10 were injured. • February 28, 1984:
Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 901, DC-10-30 LN-RKB, overran the runway on landing at
John F. Kennedy International Airport. All 177 passengers and crew members on board survived with 12 suffering injuries. The runway overshoot was attributed to the crew's failure to monitor their airspeed, and their overreliance on the
autothrottle. • April 7, 1994: The flight crew of
Federal Express Flight 705, DC-10-30 N306FE, was attacked by a deadheading FedEx employee in an attempted
murder-suicide intended to cause the aircraft to crash. The seriously injured crew returned to
Memphis International Airport after subduing the hijacker, using
aerobatic maneuvers and damaging the aircraft in the process. The aircraft was repaired and returned in service. • July 25, 2000: The right-hand thrust reverser cowl door of Continental Airlines Flight 55, DC-10-30 N13067, shed a strip of metal which landed on the runway at
Charles de Gaulle Airport upon takeoff. Minutes later,
Air France Flight 4590, operated by a
Concorde, ran over the metal strip at high speed, bursting a tire and causing a fuel tank to rupture and burst into flames. The Concorde's pilots attempted to keep control of the aircraft, but it stalled and crashed. The strip of metal was traced to third-party replacement parts
not approved by the FAA. • January 31, 2001: Japan Airlines Flight 958, DC-10-40D JA8546, was involved in a
midair near collision with a Japan Airlines
Boeing 747-400 near
Yaizu. Both flight crews performed evasive maneuvers; all 677 aboard both aircraft survived, with nine aboard the 747-400 seriously injured. ==Aircraft on display==