McDonnell Douglas DC-10

DC-10 is a redirect to this article. Further meanings are listed under DC-10 (disambiguation) .

McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Modernized FedEx DC-10 freighter
Type:	three-engine wide - body aircraft
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	McDonnell Douglas
First flight:	August 29, 1970
Commissioning:	5th August 1971
Production time:	1968 to 1988
Number of pieces:	total: 446 civil: 386 military: 60

The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three - engine wide - body aircraft from the US aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Douglas , depending on the version for medium or long-haul flights. On August 29, 1970, the first flight of this aircraft type from Long Beach , California to Edwards Air Force Base took place. Before the development of ETOPS jet engines, three - jet engines were used on routes for which four-jet engines were unprofitable . The DC-10 was therefore the second most common and second heaviest wide-body aircraft for a long time after the Boeing 747 . It went down in civil aviation history on the one hand due to its longevity and on the other hand due to a series of accidents in the late 1970s.

History of the DC-10

Last active passenger DC-10: Biman Bangladesh Airlines S2-ACR

phase of development

In the mid-1960s, the United States Air Force asked for a new jet-powered large-capacity transporter to expand capacities and replace the old propeller-driven models. The three big American manufacturers Boeing , Douglas and Lockheed took part in the competition until the 1965 race was decided in favor of the Lockheed C-5 .

Although the order went to the competition, Boeing and Douglas could still draw a lot from this program. The knowledge gained from this was used to develop a new generation of aircraft that would complement the company's own Douglas DC-8 model as well as the competing model Boeing 707 and replace it on the international prestige routes. At Boeing, this resulted in the Boeing 747 a few years later. Douglas, however, still suffered from financial difficulties from previous programs and in 1967 merged with McDonnell (a manufacturer of military aircraft) to become McDonnell Douglas . Secured by the new financial injection, McDonnell Douglas pushed the development of the new aircraft type. At the same time, American Airlines was looking for a twin-engine aircraft type that would complement the 747 in domestic American traffic and would have a capacity between the Boeing 707 and Boeing 747. McDonnell Douglas convinced American Airlines with a three-engine design, so that on February 2, 1968, the DC-10 program began with an order for 25 DC-10-10s (plus 25 options).

DC-10 versus TriStar

A SAS Scandinavian Airlines DC-10 in 1982

In the meantime, Lockheed had also entered the new wide-body aircraft market. The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar was a design very similar to the DC-10, which can be distinguished from the DC-10 almost only by the design of the tail engine. Because McDonnell's management had little experience marketing commercial airliners, the DC-10 lost many early orders to the TriStar. When McDonnell Douglas then offered similar financing options and discounts for their aircraft as Lockheed, orders for the DC-10 were received again. The final breakthrough for the DC-10, however, came with the long-haul variant DC-10-30, which was first ordered by the European KSSU group in June 1969 . Lockheed has not yet been able to match this model series with any competing product. It should be mentioned, however, that a long-range version of the Tristar called the Lockheed L-1011-8.4 was planned as early as 1969. However, due to a financial crisis at the engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce , this long-haul version could not be realized. It was not until 1978 that Lockheed brought out a shortened version for long-haul use under the name L-1011 TriStar 500, which however had little in common with the L-1011-8.4 project. With 446 to 250 copies built, McDonnell Douglas won the race.

The negative image of the DC-10

As early as June 12, 1972, there was an incident that made the DC-10 hit negative headlines: The rear cargo hold door of an American Airlines DC-10-10 opened in flight, causing a sudden drop in pressure in the aircraft and the break-in the cabin floor in the rear of the machine. Nevertheless, the DC-10 was still able to return to Detroit . In the history of the DC-10, this accident is known as the " Windsor Incident " (after the Canadian town of Windsor, Ontario , over which this incident occurred).

As a result of the incident, "Service Bulletin 52-37" was issued on July 3, 1972 by McDonnell Douglas and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which provided for a repair of the lock of the cargo door. Lists were issued listing the machines that were to be converted. All previously delivered DC-10s of the operators American Airlines , United Airlines , National Airlines and Continental Airlines were on it ; However, two aircraft were missing that had originally been ordered by the Japanese leasing company Mitsui for All Nippon Airways . However, All Nippon no longer showed any interest in the machines and opted for the TriStar. The two DC-10s with the construction numbers 46704/29 and 46705/33 were still in Long Beach at McDonnell Douglas. After all, these aircraft without the improved locking system were placed with Turkish Airlines in September and then used by the company in Europe and Asia from December 1972.

On the Turkish Airlines flight 981 , the machine with the construction number 46704/29 crashed on March 3, 1974 shortly after taking off from Paris-Orly airport in the Ermenonville forest , killing all 346 people on board. All the facts and the results of the investigation indicated that - as almost two years earlier - the cargo hold door did not hold and was torn off in flight. As a result, the cabin floor did not hold up and two rows of seats were torn from the machine. The damage led to the failure of the center engine and the elevator controls. This made it impossible to stop the steep descent into which the machine began. This accident could have been prevented if McDonnell Douglas had implemented the recommendation of the NTSB. At that time, only the FAA was able to issue more than a recommendation, an instruction, which, however, was not included in the issue of “Service Bulletin 52-37”.

The DC-10 fell into twilight after this accident, but was able to recover from it over time. On May 25, 1979, however, the DC-10-10 of American Airlines Flight 191 crashed into a hangar shortly after take-off from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, with large debris also falling in a trailer park after the left engine fell detached from the wing at takeoff. Investigations showed that cracks in the engine mount led to the failure of the mount and thus caused the accident. Since such cracks were found in other American Airlines DC-10-10s on June 5, the FAA revoked the type certification of the DC-10 and decommissioned all DC-10s worldwide (something similar happened next in January 2013 with the Boeing 787 ). The investigations also found that the engine mount assembly on some DC-10s was inadequate, partly due to the fact that McDonnell Douglas had relocated the engine nacelle assembly from Santa Monica to Huntington Beach , which meant that many new skilled workers had to be trained. While that wasn't the cause of the Chicago disaster, it made negative headlines once again. The results of the investigations were announced on July 13th. They stated that American Airlines and Continental Airlines were using an improper maintenance procedure. They had separated the engines and their brackets from the wing with the help of a forklift. United Airlines adopted this process using a lifting device instead of a forklift. The airlines therefore ignored the instructions of the aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Douglas to remove the parts separately. The procedure of the two airlines resulted in excessive stress on the suspension and the said cracks and thus ultimately to the May 25th crash. As a result, the DC-10 got its type certification back.

In the course of the year, two more DC-10s crashed due to serious human error, including Air New Zealand Flight 901 . The reputation of the DC-10 was now so badly battered that American Airlines only provided its DC-10 with the lettering Luxury Liner , instead of naming the type designation on the fuselage, as with the rest of their fleet. The historic abbreviation "DC" (Douglas Commercial) for civil aviation aircraft was replaced by "MD" in the new aircraft types from McDonnell Douglas - the bad reputation of the DC-10 is said to have been one of the reasons for this change.

1989 was another unfortunate year for the DC-10 with three accidents, one accident caused by a failed approach and another caused by a bomb on board. The third accident involved United Airlines Flight 232 (see "Incidents" below for details).

Even today, the DC-10 is primarily associated with the accidents from the 1970s. From a statistical point of view (number of total losses with / without deaths per 1 million take-offs), the DC-10 was roughly on par with the Boeing 747-100 / -200 / -300 , worse than the Airbus A300 and the Lockheed L-1011 , but better than its successor, the MD-11 .

The 1980s

In the early 1980s, aviation was in crisis due to high fuel prices. During this time the first transatlantic flights were carried out with twin-engine machines. As a result, orders for the three-engine wide-body aircraft fell. While the TriStar production had already been set in 1983, McDonnell Douglas bridged the difficult time by building the KC-10 - refueling tankers for the US Air Force and some freighters for FedEx . However, this did not change the fact that the DC-10 had already passed its zenith. In the early 1980s, the development of a successor began that would eventually become the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 . In December 1988 production of the DC-10 was discontinued in favor of the MD-11. On July 25, 1989, the 446th and final DC-10, a DC-10-30, was delivered to Nigeria Airways.

After the turn of the millennium

Biman DC-10-30 Cabin

After more than 30 years in flight operations, most airlines have parted ways with their DC-10s for economic reasons - a DC-10 uses 35% more fuel per passenger than a Boeing 777-300ER . Just like the DC-8, however, the DC-10 has become a popular freighter due to its durability . Many former passenger planes experienced a "second spring" and were converted into full freighters. This is how new variants emerged, such as the DC-10-10F (AF) and the DC-10-40F (AF). Some of the former Northwest Airlines' DC-10s passed the 120,000 flight hour mark - a figure that no other passenger aircraft has ever achieved. However, the airline had retired all DC-10 passenger aircraft in 2007 - shortly before they were taken over by Delta Air Lines. In July 2000 a fallen engine part of a DC-10 was partly responsible for the crash of a Concorde on a hotel near the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport (see: Air France flight 4590 ). According to the investigation report, however, the part was neither manufactured in accordance with the aircraft manufacturer's specifications nor installed in accordance with them.

Last passenger flights

In early 2007, Northwest Airlines retired the DC-10 as the penultimate airline from regular scheduled passenger service - a DC-10-30 with the registration number N237NW completed its last flight in the second week of January 2007 on the route from Honolulu to Minneapolis , after which it arrived to the charter company World Airways and was finally retired there. By February 2012, the US airline Omni Air International last operated three DC-10 passenger planes (-30ER) for charter flights for the US Army and finally retired them as well. This made Biman Bangladesh Airlines the last operator in the world to use one of its four DC-10s in scheduled passenger service until February 18, 2014, the penultimate machine ever built. After the last scheduled flight and a number of special flights from Birmingham, the aircraft was to be transferred to the Museum of Flight (Seattle) , but the museum had no free space available within the remaining licensed time. On February 24, 2014, this last DC-10 with passenger registration flew empty for dismantling from Birmingham to Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Before the conversion: 3-man cockpit of the DC-10, analog instruments

After the conversion, the MD-10 cockpit largely corresponds to this MD-11 cockpit

Since KLM, as the last passenger line operator of the successor model MD-11, has also announced the phasing out for 2014, the DC-10 and the MD-11, which was launched 20 years later, will be withdrawn from passenger service in the same year.

The non-governmental organization ORBIS International has been using the second built DC-10-10 (N220AU, built in 1970) as a flying eye clinic since 1994 . In 2013 it was replaced by a FedEx donated MD-10-30 ( N330AU , No. 96, built in 1973), which is scheduled for another 20 years of service.

As of February 2014, 138 of the 446 machines built were still in use (including five parked), of which over 40% each at FedEx and the United States Air Force . Compared to the former direct competitor Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, there are far more DC-10s in operation today - also in relation to the respective total production of the TriStar and the DC-10.

MD-10

Even though the DC-10 had been in use for many years, efforts were made to keep it operational and to adapt it to the latest requirements. On behalf of and at the suggestion of FedEx , 70 DC-10s were converted to a glass cockpit with the latest avionics and a two-man cockpit. The conversion is not limited to the cockpit, which now resembles that of the MD-11 - the engines have also been improved and adapted for the new use via a so-called service bulletin. Aircraft modified in this way are given the designation MD-10. Apart from FedEx, there were no other customers for the upgrade. In 2013, Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos took over a retired FedEx machine (MSN 48312, built in 1988), making it the second operator of this version.

A DC-10-10 that Premiair took over used.

Versions

There are four main civil versions of the DC-10 and the military version, the KC-10.

DC-10-10

• The DC-10-10 , which was put into service by American Airlines on August 5, 1971 , is the standard version. The series has General Electric CF6-6 engines. Major customers included American Airlines, United Airlines , Continental Airlines and National Airlines . The DC-10-10 was designed primarily for intra-American traffic and is therefore also referred to as the "domestic version" . A total of 122 aircraft were built.
• The DC-10-10CF ("Convertible Freighter") was a version of the DC-10-10 designed for the mixed transport of cargo and / or passengers with a reinforced cabin floor and a cargo hatch on the main deck. A total of nine machines were built; eight for Continental Airlines and one for United Airlines.

DC-10-15 of the Mexicana

DC-10-15

• The DC-10-15 was a version of the DC-10-10 offered from 1979, which enabled take-offs with increased payload from hot and high-altitude airports such as Mexico City . For this purpose, the series received the more powerful CF6-50C2F engines of the DC-10-30. From 1981 a total of seven machines were delivered to the first customer Aeroméxico and Mexicana .

DC-10-20

• DC-10-20 was the original name for the DC-10-40. However, the first customer Northwest Orient Airlines insisted on changing the name to DC-10-40 before delivery of their machines in order to make them look more modern.

DC-10-30. Only the 30 and 40 series have the additional middle main landing gear.

Northwest Airlines DC-10-40

DC-10-30

• The DC-10-30 , which flew for the first time in autumn 1972, is the second long-range version after the DC-10-40 (or DC-10-20). Powered by more powerful CF6-50 engines, the DC-10-30 was used worldwide on such intercontinental routes that a Boeing 747 did not justify. This series was the most successful version of the DC-10 family. First customers were the airlines of the KSSU group ( KLM , SAS , Swissair and UTA ), who placed an order at the same time in 1969. The European scheduled airlines Alitalia , British Caledonian Airways , Finnair , Iberia , Lufthansa and Sabena also ordered this version. A total of 163 machines were manufactured.
• The DC-10-30CF ("Convertible Freighter") was a version that could be used either as a passenger and / or cargo aircraft. The two first-time customers, Trans International Airlines and Overseas National Airways, took over the first aircraft from the manufacturer simultaneously on April 17, 1973. A total of 27 machines were manufactured.
• The DC-10-30AF ("All Freight") was a freight version ordered by Alitalia in 1979 with a payload of 79.3 t, but which was canceled by Alitalia. The first customer was Federal Express , which received all ten machines of this version produced in 1984. The series is also referred to as DC-10-30F ("Freighter").
• The DC-10-30ER ("Extended Range") was a version with an extended range, thanks to an additional fuel tank in the rear cargo hold. The first aircraft was delivered to Finnair in 1981 . A total of six machines were built, and Swissair had some of its DC-10-30s retrofitted accordingly in 1982.

A McDonnell Douglas KDC-10-30CF of the RNLAF on the approach to Hamburg.

DC-10-40

• The DC-10-40 (originally DC-10-20) was the first long-range version and owned Pratt & Whitney - JT9D-20 -Triebwerke. Launch customer Northwest Orient Airlines put this type into service in 1972. The second and final customer was Japan Air Lines , whose DC-10-40 received more powerful JT9D-59 engines. A total of 42 machines were manufactured.

KC-10A

• The KC-10A is the military version of the DC-10-30AF for air refueling. The United States Air Force received 60 brand new machines. For the Koninklijke Luchtmacht two civilian DC-10-30CFs purchased from Martinair were equipped accordingly. They were given the designation KDC-10-30CF.

List of DC-10 operators

Ordering brand new aircraft

Complete list of airlines that have ordered and operated brand new DC-10s:

Aeroméxico Air Afrique Air New Zealand Air Siam Air Zaire Alitalia American Airlines Ariana Afghan Airlines Balair Biman Bangladesh Airlines British Caledonian Airways Condor flight service Continental Airlines

CP Air Delta Air Lines 1) Federal Express Finnair Garuda Indonesia Ghana Airways Iberia Japan Air Lines Japan Air System JAT Yugoslav Airlines KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Korean Air Laker Airways

Lufthansa Martinair Holland Malaysia Airlines Mexicana National Airlines Nigeria Airways Northwest Orient Airlines Overseas National Airways Pakistan International Airlines Philippine Airlines Sabena SAS - Scandinavian Airlines System Singapore Airlines

Swissair Thai Airways Trans International Airlines Turkish Airlines United Air Lines Union de Transports Aériens VARIG VIASA Wardair Canada Western Airlines World Airways Zambia Airways

¹⁾ Delta Air Lines ordered five DC-10-10s on March 18, 1971, but sold the machines to United Air Lines before they were manufactured and leased them back from United Air Lines before delivery. The leased aircraft operated until May 1, 1975.

Five airlines (including Lauda Air and Atlantis ) ordered brand new DC-10s but did not accept them. In addition, there are over 120 airlines that have acquired used DC-10s, leased them at short notice or integrated them into the fleet by taking over another airline.

Current operator

operator	number	Remarks	image
Cargo planes
FedEx	38	MD-10, will be phased out by the end of 2021.
KF Cargo	2
Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos	2	1 MD-10 active, 1 DC-10 switched off
Wilmington Trust	1	since 2012, most recently active at DETA Air
KC-10 tanker aircraft
United States Air Force	59	KC-10, all brand new
Omega Aerial Refueling Services	1
Dutch Air Force	2	KDC-10 (former machines of the Martinair )
other use
10 tanker air carriers	4th	Fire fighting aircraft
ORBIS International	1	"Flying Eye Clinic," MD-10-30
total	110

Incidents

This McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was destroyed in an attack on September 19, 1989

By the end of 2017 there were 33 total losses of DC-10. 1261 people were killed and 170 were killed in a bomb attack. Extracts:

• On June 12, 1972 , the rear cargo door of an American Airlines DC-10-10 ( aircraft registration number N103AA ) opened over Windsor, Ontario , causing an explosive decompression . Part of the cabin floor broke into the cargo hold below, which impaired the control cables running under the cabin floor for actuating the control surfaces. Nevertheless, the pilots were able to land the difficult-to-steer aircraft in Detroit. There were no deaths (see also American Airlines Flight 96 ) .

• On November 3, 1973, a National Airlines DC-10-10 (N60NA) suffered severe engine damage while cruising, with a turbine blade breaking through a cabin window. A passenger was sucked through the broken window as a result of the sudden drop in pressure . The pilots were able to make an emergency landing at Albuquerque International Sunport Airport.

• On March 3, 1974, a Turkish Airlines DC-10-10 (TC-JAV) crashed shortly after take-off from Paris-Orly airport , killing all 346 people on board (for details see The negative image of the DC-10 above ) (see also Turkish Airlines flight 981 ) .

• On November 12, 1975, an Overseas National Airways DC-10-30CF (N1032F) burned out after an aborted take-off at JFK International Airport . While the machine was accelerating on the runway, the right engine was badly damaged by a bird strike shortly before take-off . Engine parts pierced the right wing , causing a fire. The crew tried to prevent the end of the runway from rolling over by steering the aircraft into a taxiway at high speed . The landing gear broke . The DC-10 was to be transferred to Saudi Arabia and operated there on behalf of Saudi Arabian Airlines . There were 139 people on board, all of them ONA employees . They were able to get to safety almost unharmed.

• On January 2, 1976, a second Overseas National Airways DC-10-30CF (N1031F) had to be written off as a total loss after an accident at Istanbul-Yeşilköy Airport . The plane, which was used as a replacement for the previously crashed aircraft for Saudi Arabian Airlines , was supposed to bring Hajj pilgrims back to Ankara , but had to move to Istanbul due to the weather . There the pilots carried out the approach too low. The machine hit just before the runway threshold. There were 364 passengers and 13 crew members on board. All occupants survived, only one crew member was injured.

• On March 1, 1978, a Continental Airlines DC-10-10 (N68045) was just about to take off from Los Angeles International Airport when three landing gear tires burst one after the other immediately before reaching the decisive speed. After an aborted take-off, the machine rolled over the end of the runway, causing the left main landing gear to break, two wing tanks being damaged and a fire breaking out. Towards the end of the evacuation of the machine, all of the emergency slides failed one after the other. 31 of the 200 occupants of the machine were injured and two passengers died (see also Continental Airlines flight 603 ) .

• On 25 May 1979 crashed a DC-10-10 (N110AA) of American Airlines shortly after takeoff from O'Hare International Airport from Chicago after the left engine had dissolved at the start of the wing. A total of 273 people were killed (for details see "The negative image of the DC-10" above) (see also American Airlines flight 191 ) .

• On October 31, 1979, a Western Airlines DC-10-10 touched down on a closed runway at Mexico City Airport in thick fog . While trying to get started, the machine collided with a construction vehicle. The plane then swerved to the right and crashed into a building. Of the 88 inmates, 72 were killed. In addition, another person was killed on the ground (see also Western Airlines flight 2605 ) .

• On November 28, 1979, a DC-10-30 hit the Air New Zealand (ZK-NZP) during a tour flight over the Antarctic against Mount Erebus . All 237 passengers and all 20 crew members died as a result of the aircraft's impact. This was the worst aircraft accident in New Zealand's history (see also Air New Zealand flight 901 ) .

• On September 13, 1982, while a DC-10-30CF from Spantax (EC-DEG) was taking off in Málaga on a flight to New York , strong vibrations occurred due to the right tire bursting on the front landing gear. The vibrations irritated the pilots, who then aborted take-off much too late . The machine shot over the end of the runway , crossed a motorway and came to a stop on the embankment of a railway line. It broke into three parts and finally burned out. Of the 394 occupants, 50 were killed (see also Spantax flight 995 ) .

• On 23 December 1983, the crew launched a DC-10-30 of Korean Air Lines (HL7339) on the Anchorage airport from the wrong runway . The cargo plane rammed a nine-person Piper PA-31 Navajo of South Central Air, then overshot the runway end by around 450 m and was irreparably damaged. All occupants of both machines survived the collision, but some were seriously injured.

• On July 19, 1989, there was a serious accident a DC-10-10 (N1819U) of United Airlines : After a break of the rotor disk of the fans of the center, located in the tail engine that failed. Furthermore, leaking engine parts damaged the tail unit and the three independent hydraulic systems so severely that it was practically impossible to control them alone. With the help of the thrust control of the two remaining functioning engines, the aircraft was able to touch down for an emergency landing at Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City with a slight incline to the right. The machine overturned and broke into several parts. Nevertheless, 175 passengers and 10 crew members survived this accident, 111 people were killed (see also United Airlines flight 232 ) .

• On July 27, 1989, a Korean Air DC-10-30 (HL7328) flew into the area on approach to Tripoli International Airport shortly before landing. In addition to four people on the ground, 75 aircraft occupants were killed (see also Korean Air flight 803 ) .

• On September 19, 1989, a DC-10-30 (N54629) of the Union de Transports Aériens crashed on the flight from N'Djamena (Chad) to Paris in the Ténéré desert in northern Niger . The crash was triggered by a bomb explosion at cruising altitude, 46 minutes after take-off. All 170 people on board (156 passengers and 14 crew members) lost their lives. It was suspected that a Lebanese Shiite group caused the explosion (see also UTA flight 772 ) .

• On December 21, 1992 a DC-10-30 (PH-MBN) of the Dutch Martinair crashed while approaching Faro airport (Portugal). The machine with 340 people on board broke in two parts and went up in flames. The reason for the accident, in which 56 people were killed, were bad weather conditions and human errors (see also Martinair flight 495 ) .

• On April 7, 1994, a FedEx DC-10-30F was attempted to hijack . Auburn Calloway, a former United States Navy pilot , tried armed with hammers and a spear pistol to take out the flight crew and take control of the plane, causing it to crash. He wanted to make it look like an accident and die so that his family could have a better life through his life insurance. A long battle ensued between Calloway and the crew. One of the pilots tried risky maneuvers in which the cargo plane briefly exceeded the speed of sound to put Calloway in an unfavorable position and thus make it accessible to his colleagues. During the fight, the crew was able to inform Memphis Airport and called for ambulances and a SWAT crew. After another fight, one of the pilots tried to land the plane blindly with severe head injuries and one eye. There was another tough fight in which Calloway was eliminated. This was followed by the safe landing, during which it was found that two of the pilots had suffered life-threatening injuries (see also Federal Express Flight 705 ) .

• On June 13, 1996, the captain of a DC-10-30 from Garuda Indonesia (PK-GIE) at Fukuoka Airport broke off the take-off after an engine failure, although the aircraft had already taken off. The machine hit again, sped over the end of the runway, and burned out completely. Of the 275 inmates, 3 were killed. The torn off turbine blade that caused the engine failure should have been replaced after 6000 operating cycles, but was still in use after 6182 cycles (see also Garuda Indonesia flight 865 ) .

• On December 21, 1999, one of two Cubana DC-10-30s (F-GTDI) on Flight 1216 when landing in Guatemala City in wet weather shot over the runway and fell down a slope. Of the 314 people on board, 16 died (see also Cubana flight 1216 ) .

• On June 4, 2006, an Arrow Air DC-10-10F rolled over the end of the runway when landing in Managua ( Nicaragua ). Due to the damage to the fuselage, engines , wings and tanks, the machine was written off as a total loss.

• On March 26, 2009, an Arrow Air DC-10 lost several parts of the middle engine after taking off from Manaus Airport . The engine parts, which weigh up to 250 kilograms, damaged twelve houses and a few cars in the city. The crew initially wanted to continue the flight to Bogotá as planned , but then avoided going to Medellín ( Colombia ).

• On October 28, 2016, a FedEx MD-10F (N370FE) crashed while landing in Fort Lauderdale . The machine coming from Memphis broke the left main landing gear while it was coasting, causing the left wing to hit the asphalt and catch fire. The crew was able to save themselves unharmed. According to the NTSB investigation report, the cause of the accident is a crack in the chassis. This was not discovered because the maintenance interval was exceeded by 213 days (see also Federal Express flight 910 ) .

Technical specifications

DC-10-30

Parameter	DC-10-10	DC-10-30	DC-10-40
Length:	55.55 m	55.06 m	55.04 m
Span:	47.43 m	50.39 m
Height:	17.70 m
Wing area:	329.8 m²	338.8 m²
Maximum take-off weight:	186,025 kg	251,815 kg
Empty weight:	110,710 kg	122,960 kg	123,640 kg
Payload:	41,290 kg	44,010 kg	43,330 kg
Top speed:	960 km / h
Maximum range:	10,220 km	10,500 km	11,190 km
Range with full payload:	4,355 km	7,400 km	6,485 km
Passengers:	265 (typical) to 380 (maximum)
Engines:	3 General Electric CF6 -6D	3 General Electric CF6-50C2 with 226.8 kN takeoff power each	3 Pratt & Whitney JT9D-20s with 249.1 kN takeoff power each

All data refer to the respective basic version. In the course of production, however, various innovations were introduced that led to increased performance. Deviations can occur depending on the airline and variant. For example, all DC-10-10s that were in service with American Airlines were equipped with the more powerful CF6-6K engines. Japan Air Lines equipped their DC-10-40 with more powerful JT9D-59 engines.

literature

• Günter Endres: McDonnell Douglas DC-10. MBI Publishing Company, 1998, ISBN 0-7603-0617-6 (English).
• Arthur AC Steffen: McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and KC-10 Extender. (Aerofax series), Midland Publishing Limited, Leicester 1998, ISBN 1-85780-051-6 (English).
• John Godson: The Rise and Fall of the DC-10. David McKay Company, New York 1975, ISBN 0-679-50528-8 . (English, covers the history of the Paris accident in 1974 )
• Werner Fischbach: Douglas DC-10 - the three-engine giant. FliegerRevue X, No. 52.

Web links

Commons : McDonnell Douglas DC-10  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

• The DC-10 on the Boeing website
• McDonnell-Douglas-DC-10 website (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ More information on the causes of the crashes in Chicago and the fateful "cascades of events" they triggered can be found in Michael Crichton's novel " Airframe " in the chapter "Wednesday"
2. ↑ http://www.boeing.com/news/techissues/pdf/statsum.pdf
3. ↑ ^{a b} http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=2370704&date=2014-02-20
4. ↑ http://www.aero.de/news-19098/Adieu-McDonnell-Douglas-DC-10.html
5. ↑ http://www.airportspotting.com/klm-brings-md11-retirement/
6. ↑ ORBIS's Flying Eye Hospital (FEH) Housed in a DC-10 Takes Center-Stage at 2012 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Airshow ( Memento from September 21, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
7. ↑ Flying Eye Hospital Frequently Asked Questions ( Memento from November 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
8. ↑ Boeing: DC-10 Orders and Deliveries January 16, 2010
9. ↑ http://www.ch-aviation.ch/portal/aircraft/quick?ac_manufacturer=MDD&ac_aircraft=DC-10 (English) accessed on January 24, 2014
10. ↑ http://www.boeing.com/commercial/aeromagazine/aero_02/textonly/ps02txt.html
11. ↑ http://www.ch-aviation.ch/portal/airline.php?cha=BOL
12. ^ Delta Flight Museum, Aircraft By Type, McDonnell Douglas DC-10 , accessed January 11, 2018
13. ↑ http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/08/04/why-fedex-loves-the-boeing-767.aspx
14. ↑ Accident Statistics DC-10 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 3, 2018.
15. ^ Aviation Safety Network, November 3, 1973
16. ^ Accident report DC-10-10 TC-JAV , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 21, 2019.
17. ^ Aviation Safety Network, November 12, 1975
18. ^ Aviation Safety Network, January 2, 1976
19. ^ Accident report DC-10-10, N68045 in the Aviation Safety Network, accessed on March 25, 2020.
20. ^ Aviation Safety Network, October 31, 1979
21. ↑ Aircraft accident data and report of the accident of November 28, 1979 in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
22. ^ Accident report DC-10 EC-DEG , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 14, 2018.
23. ↑ Aircraft Accident data and report of the Korean Air Lines flight 084 in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
24. ↑ Accident report DC-10 HL7328 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 19, 2016.
25. ↑ accident report DC-10 N54629 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 18 August 2017th
26. ↑ Flight International, September 30, 1989 [1]
27. ↑ Accident report DC-10 PK-GIE Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 21, 2019.
28. ↑ Flight accident data and report for Cubana flight 1216 in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
29. ↑ Aircraft accident data and report in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
30. ^ The Aviation Herald, Accident: Arrow Cargo DC10 at Manaus on Mar 26th 2009, dropped parts of engine on houses
31. ↑ Fedex MD10 at Fort Lauderdale on Oct 28th 2016, main gear collapse on landing, aircraft on fire. In: The Avherald. October 28, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016 .