|
| Title: | Explosive decompression, American Airlines, Inc., McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, N103AA, Near Windsor, Ontario, Canada, June 12, 1972 |
| Micro summary: | On climb, this McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 experienced an opening of a cargo door, explosive decompression, and a main cabin floor collapse, disrupting the flight control system. |
| Event Time: | 1972-06-12 at 1925 EST |
| File Name: | 1972-06-12-US.pdf |
| Publishing Agency: | National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) |
| Publishing Country: | USA |
| Report number: | NTSB-AAR-73-02 |
| Pages: | 45 |
| Site of event: | Climb, 11750' MSL |
| Departure: | Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Romulus, Michigan, USA |
| Destination: | LaGuardia Airport, New York, New York, USA |
| Airplane Type(s): | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 |
| Flight Phase: | Climb |
| Registration(s): | N103AA |
| Operator(s): | American Airlines |
| Type of flight: | Revenue |
| Occupants: | 67 |
| Fatalities: | 0 |
| Serious Injuries: | 11 |
| Minor/Non-Injured: | 56 |
| Other Injuries: | 0 |
| Executive Summary: | An American Airlines, Inc., McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, was damaged substantially when the aft bulk cargo compartment door separated from the aircraft in flight at approximately 11,750 feet mean sea level. The separation caused rapid decompression, which, in turn, caused failure of the cabin floor over the bulk cargo compartment. The floor partially collapsed into the cargo compartment, disruptingv arious control cables which were routed through the floor beams to the rear engine and to the empennage control systems. The separated door caused minor damage to the fuselage above the door opening and substantial damage to the leading edge and upper surface of the left horizontal stabilizer. There were 56 passengers and a crew of 11 aboard the aircraft. Two stewardesses and nine passengers received minor injuries. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the improper engagement of the latching mechanism for the aft bulk cargo compartment door during the preparation of the airplane for flight. The design characteristics of the door latching mechanism permitted the door to be apparently closed, when, in fact, the latches were not fully engaged and the latch lockpins were not in place. As aresult of the investigation of this accident, the Safety Board made two recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administrator. |
| Learning Keywords: | Operations - Rapid Depressurization |
| Systems - Flight Control System | |
| Other - Certification | |
| Consequence - Damage - Airframe or fuselage | |
| Consequence - Flight Attendant Fatality - Injury |
Accident Reports on DVD, Copyright © 2006 by Flight Simulation Systems, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All referenced trademarks are the property of their respective owners.www.fss.aero