the crew followed the standard operating
procedure of an ‘engine out’ climb, unaware
of the full extent of the problem. The aircraft
climbed to an estimated 325ft, rolled over
and crashed 4,600ft from the end of the
runway, killing all 271 passengers and crew
as well as two more people on the ground.
The answer to why the engine and
pylon detached was traced to the airline’s
practice of using a forklift truck to support
these parts during routine maintenance – a
method not recommended by McDonnell
Douglas. This had resulted in metal fatigue
leading to its separation.
Examination of other aircraft in the fleet
found potential damage in other units.
The FAA grounded all DC-10s under its
jurisdiction on June 6. Following checks, it
was allowed back into service on July 13.
American lost another hull on May 21,
1988 at Dallas (DFW) when N136AA was
operating flight AA70 to Frankfurt, West
Germany. The crew abandoned take-off
and due to worn brakes the airliner ran off
the end of the runway and the nosewheel
collapsed. It was deemed beyondeconomic repair, but there were no fatalities
among the 254 passengers and crew.
The last loss of a DC-10 in American
service again took place in Dallas (DFW).On April 14, 1993, N139AA operating flight
AA102 arrived from Honolulu. In poor
weather conditions the aircraft left the
runway upon touchdown and the nose and
left main gear collapsed with the aircraft
coming to rest in the mud.
As with the previous accident, the
airframe was beyond economic repair and
there were no fatalities.WINDING DOWN
The fleet remained the same from 1988
to 1993 and then began the slow drawing
down of operations. By 1994 a number of
aircraft were on lease to Hawaiian Airlines
and among the destinations of other
examples, some were parked in various
western US locations in storage pending
delivery to Federal Express. The last
service was operated by -30 N143AA
on November 21, 2000 when it operated
flight AA8 from Honolulu to Dallas (DFW),
arriving early next morning. This closed a
chapter in the airline’s annals that had seen
the DC-10 in service with the carrier for 29
years.ROUTES AND TIMES
It would be all but impossible to list all the routes
and services flown by DC-10s in American
Airlines service, but these examples from 1998
gives a flavour of operations.
AA8 Honolulu to Dallas (DFW). Departed 5.20pm,
arrived 5.35am (next day), 3,784 miles (6,090km).
AA19 New York (JFK) to Los Angeles. Departed
at 10.30am, arrived at 1.20pm, 2,475 miles
(3,983km).
AA72 Honolulu to Chicago (ORD). Departed
4.42pm, arrived 5.45am (next day), 4,246 miles
(6,833km).
AA102 departed Honolulu 6.52pm, arrived Dalas
(DFW) 7.10am (next day).
AA400 Miami to Santo Domingo, Dominican
Republic. Departed 5.15pm, arrived 8.27pm; a
distance of 859 miles (1,382km).
AA606 Los Angeles to Dallas (DFW). Departed
6.42am, arrived 11.45am, 1,240 miles (1,995km).
AA1266 Miami to Chicago (ORD). Departed
1.40pm, arrived 3.58pm, 1,201 miles (1,932km).http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 69Above: A sad sight at Goodyear, Arizona, in September 1998 where a dozen ex-American Airlines DC-10s await their fate, already having had their
engines removed. Key Collection
Below: DC-10-30 N140AA, here in the livery of Hawaiian Airlines, saw service with a number of different carriers. It started life in June 1973 with
National Airlines and was absorbed into the fleet of Pan Am following its takeover of National in 1980. A lease to Lan Chile followed before it
joined the fleet of American Airlines in March 1984. It then went to Transaero Airlines in June 1996 and to Hawaii in November 1998. The last
commercial operator was Ghana Airways. Key Collection66-69_american_airlinesDC.mfDC.indd 69 01/12/2017 18:28