McDonnell Douglas · Wide-body jet
McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Is the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 safe? It ranks #0 of 53 airliner families we rate, with 15 fatal accidents counted in about 8.3 million passenger flights.
How the score is built
- Fatal passenger accidents
- 15 in 8.3 million flights
1.8 fatal passenger accidents per million flights. Counted: passenger flights, accidents and unexplained losses; not counted: sabotage, hijackings, shoot-downs and deliberate crew acts.
- Full-loss equivalents
- 5
Each counted accident adds the share of people on board who died (1 = no survivors). This is what the score is based on.
- Flights flown
- 8.3 million
Estimated passenger departures. Passenger departures 1971 to 7 October 2026. 2019-2022: OpenSky flights by passenger airlines, re-weighted to World Bank departures country by country. Other years: fleet model (deliveries with a median passenger service life of about 24 years, about 1,067 departures per aircraft per year, calibrated on OpenSky 2019). Uncertainty roughly ±25%.
- Technology generation
- Gen 2 jet (integrated autoflight, analogue cockpit)
Small fleets are pulled toward the record of their generation: 0.88 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 236 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 74%.
- Last fatal passenger accident
- 21 December 1999
Cubana de Aviación, lsf AOM French Airlines, Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport (GUA), Guatemala: 16 of 314 people on board died.
- Hull losses
- 32
Civil aircraft destroyed or written off from all causes, including non-fatal accidents, cargo flights and attacks; airframes flown by air forces on military operations are left out (context only, not in the score).
Compared with everyday risks
One flight on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 carries about the same risk of death as the activities near it below.
- An hour's walk1 in 14 million
- Driving 100 miles (160 km)1 in 5.9 million
- One flight on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10This aircraft1 in 1.5 million
- A day of skiing1 in 1.3 million
- An ordinary day: accidents and violence1 in 1 million
- A scuba dive1 in 500,000
- Cycling 100 miles (160 km)1 in 430,000
- Running a marathon1 in 290,000
- A skydive1 in 250,000
- A general anaesthetic1 in 100,000
- Riding a motorbike 100 miles (160 km)1 in 83,000
Accident history
15 fatal accidents count toward the score, with 1,263 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cubana de Aviación, lsf AOM French AirlinesDC-10-30 · Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport (GUA), Guatemala | 16 / 314 on board | After a stabilised visual approach to Guatemala City the DC-10 touched down too far along the wet runway, did not go around and failed to slow enough. It ran off the end, down a steep slope and into about ten houses.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| Garuda Indonesia Airways GA865DC-10-30 · Fukuoka Airport (FUK), Japan | 3 / 275 on board | Just after liftoff a turbine blade failed in an engine. The captain abandoned the takeoff well above V1 and the jet settled back, overran through a ditch, fence and road and caught fire. Investigators cited his inadequate judgement.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| Martinair Holland MP495DC-10-30CF · Faro Airport (FAO), Portugal | 56 / 340 on board | Landing in thunderstorms on a flooded runway, the jet sank fast and hit hard on its right gear in a strong crosswind; the right wing broke off and it burned. Portugal cited descent rate and crosswind; Dutch investigators pointed to windshear.Type: Hard landing or abnormal runway contactASN record | |
| Korean Air KE803DC-10-30 · 2,4 km E of Tripoli International Airport (TIP), Libya | 74 / 199 on board | Fatigued, the crew continued an NDB approach in fog far below minima, with the ILS out of service, and crashed short of the runway onto houses and cars, also killing six people on the ground. A GPWS warning that stopped early was also cited.Type: Flight into terrainASN record | |
| United Airlines UA232DC-10-10 · Sioux Gateway Airport, IA (SUX), United States of America | 111 / 296 on board | A fan disk in the tail engine broke apart in cruise and its debris cut all three hydraulic systems. Steering with engine thrust alone, the crew reached Sioux City, but the jet hit the runway with a wing low and cartwheeled. An undetected fatigue crack was the cause.Type: Engine failureASN record | |
| Spantax BX995DC-10-30CF · Málaga Airport (AGP), Spain | 50 / 394 on board | Tread peeled off a retreaded nose-wheel tyre near V1 and caused strong vibration. Fearing the DC-10 would be uncontrollable, the captain rejected the take-off above rotation speed; it overran, crossed a highway, struck a building and burned.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| World AirwaysDC-10-30CF · Boston-Logan International Airport, MA (BOS), United States of America | 2 / 212 on board | Flying a fast approach, the DC-10 touched down 2,800 ft beyond the threshold on an icy runway with poor braking. The crew steered it off the side into shallow water, where the nose broke off. ATC had not passed on recent poor braking reports.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| World AirwaysDC-10-30CF · between Baltimore and London, Atlantic Ocean | 1 / 346 on board | Over the Atlantic a flight attendant was crushed between a service cart and the lower galley ceiling when the galley lift rose with its door open. The NTSB blamed faulty door interlock switches, plus the lift's design and weak preflight checks.Type: System failureASN record | |
| Air New Zealand TE901DC-10-30 · Mount Erebus, Antarctica | 257 / 257 on board | On an Antarctic sightseeing flight, the crew descended below cloud in polar whiteout on a route whose coordinates the airline had changed without telling them. The DC-10 flew into Mount Erebus. A royal commission blamed the route change, not the pilots.Type: Flight into terrainASN record | |
| Western Air LinesDC-10-10 · Mexico City-Juarez International Airport (MEX), Mexico | 72 / 88 on board | In fog, the crew went below minimums and landed on a runway closed for works instead of the parallel one they were cleared for. On the go-around, the DC-10 hit a truck, lost a gear leg, struck an excavator and crashed into a building.Type: Runway collisionASN record | |
| American AirlinesDC-10-10 · Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD), United States of America | 271 / 271 on board | As the DC-10 rotated, the left engine and pylon tore off, damaged by a flawed maintenance practice. Severed lines let the left slats retract and disabled stall warnings; the jet rolled left, stalled and crashed. Two people on the ground also died.Type: System failureASN record | |
| Continental Air LinesDC-10-10 · Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX), United States of America | 2 / 200 on board | Close to V1, two left main-gear tyres failed one after the other and a third followed. The captain rejected the take-off; braking faded, the DC-10 ran off the runway end, the left gear broke through soft ground and fire broke out.Type: Runway excursionASN record | |
| United AirlinesDC-10-10 · near Billings, MT, United States of America | 1 / 203 on board | One person died in an en-route occurrence near Billings that left the DC-10 undamaged. No details are on record.Type: Unknown causeASN record | |
| Türk Hava Yollari - THY TK981DC-10-10 · Bois d'Ermenonville, France | 346 / 346 on board | Soon after leaving Paris, a rear cargo door that had not latched properly blew open. The floor above collapsed, cutting control cables, and the DC-10 dived into a forest. Known door flaws had not been fixed after a similar 1972 incident.Type: System failureASN record | |
| National AirlinesDC-10-10 · near Socorro, NM, United States of America | 1 / 128 on board | At FL390 the right engine's fan oversped and broke apart; fragments struck the fuselage, other engines and wing. A cabin window blew out and the passenger beside it was pulled through. The crew landed safely at Albuquerque.Type: Engine failureASN record |
Listed but not counted
These events did not happen on regular passenger flights or were caused by a crime or a deliberate act, which says little about the aircraft design.
| Date | Flight | Killed | Why not counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union de Transports Aériens - UTA UT772DC-10-30 · Ténéré desert, Niger | 170 / 170 on board | Unlawful interference (sabotage, hijacking or shoot-down). Cruising at FL350 after leaving N'Djamena, the DC-10 was torn apart by a bomb in a forward hold container, probably in a bag loaded at Brazzaville. Six Libyans were later tried in absentia in France; investigators also faulted Brazzaville's security checks.Type: SecurityASN record | |
| United States Air Force - USAFKC-10A Extender · Shreveport-Barksdale AFB, LA (BAD), United States of America | 1 / 3 on board | Military operation. An hour after landing, with the flight crew gone and three ground crew aboard, an explosion in the area between the forward and centre fuel tanks set the parked tanker on fire, burning out everything ahead of the wings.Type: FireASN record | |
| Air AfriqueDC-10-30 · Genève-Cointrin Airport (GVA), Switzerland | 1 / 158 on board | Unlawful interference (sabotage, hijacking or shoot-down). A man who had smuggled a gun aboard at Bangui hijacked the flight over Italy, demanding prisoner releases. During a fuel stop in Geneva he killed a French passenger; police stormed the jet as passengers escaped through emergency exits.Type: SecurityASN record |
The DC-10 has not carried scheduled passengers for more than a decade, and it has one of the most troubled records of the early widebodies. Up to 7 October 2026 it has 18 fatal events in our data; 15 count, in about 8.3 million passenger flights, and the last of them was in 1999. Its worst crashes came from a cargo door and an engine mount, flaws that should have been caught; most later ones came down to runways, weather and crews.
What the DC-10 is and where it still flies
The DC-10 was McDonnell Douglas's first widebody: three engines, one under each wing and one through the fin. It first flew in 1970 and entered service in 1971. 446 were built, including the KC-10 tanker for the US Air Force. Versions include the domestic DC-10-10, the long-range DC-10-30 and -40, and the MD-10, a freighter conversion with a two-pilot cockpit. American Airlines, United, KLM and many others flew it with passengers. Biman Bangladesh flew the last scheduled passenger DC-10 flights in 2014.
About 15 were still flying before the November 2025 grounding, none with passenger airlines: US firefighting tankers, the Orbis eye hospital and a few refuelling tankers. In November 2025 the FAA's emergency order after the MD-11 crash at Louisville was extended to the DC-10 because of its similar design.
The cargo door and the engine pylon
- 3 March 1974, Turkish Airlines 981: soon after leaving Paris, a rear cargo door that had not latched properly blew open. The floor above collapsed, cutting control cables, and the DC-10 dived into a forest at Ermenonville. All 346 died. The door's flaws had been known since a similar incident in 1972 and had not been fixed.
- 25 May 1979, American Airlines at Chicago O'Hare: as the DC-10 rotated, the left engine and pylon tore off, damaged earlier by a flawed maintenance practice. Severed lines let the left slats retract and disabled the stall warning; the jet rolled left, stalled and crashed. All 271 on board and 2 people on the ground died. The FAA grounded the US fleet for several weeks afterwards.
Sioux City and the other counted accidents
On 19 July 1989, a fan disk in the tail engine of United 232 broke apart in cruise, and its debris cut all three hydraulic systems. Steering with engine thrust alone, the crew reached Sioux City, but the jet hit the runway with a wing low and cartwheeled. 111 of 296 died. An undetected fatigue crack was the cause.
- 31 October 1979, Western Air Lines: in fog at Mexico City, the crew landed on a runway closed for works and hit a truck on the go-around. 72 of 88 died.
- 28 November 1979, Air New Zealand 901: an Antarctic sightseeing flight hit Mount Erebus in whiteout after the airline changed the route coordinates without telling the crew. All 257 died. A royal commission blamed the route change, not the pilots.
- 13 September 1982, Spantax 995, Málaga: the captain rejected the take-off above rotation speed after a retreaded tyre shed its tread. 50 of 394 died.
- 27 July 1989, Korean Air 803, Tripoli: a tired crew continued an approach in fog far below minimums. 74 of 199 died, and six people on the ground.
- 21 December 1992, Martinair 495, Faro: a hard landing in thunderstorms on a flooded runway. 56 of 340 died.
The rest were Runway excursionWhen an aircraft leaves the runway surface during take-off or landing, either off the end (an overrun) or off the side (a veer-off).More in the glossary (Los Angeles 1978, Boston 1982, Fukuoka 1996, Guatemala City 1999), an engine burst in 1973 that pulled a passenger through a window, a galley lift accident in 1981 and an unexplained death in 1976.
What is left out
The bombing of UTA 772 over Niger in 1989, which killed all 170 on board, and a 1987 hijacking that ended in Geneva are acts of violence. A US Air Force KC-10 burned on the ground in 1987. Our methodology explains why these are listed but not counted.
How to tell if you are on one
Flight trackers show DC10 for every version. The tail engine sits high, with its intake straight through the fin; the similar Lockheed L-1011 has its intake at the base of the fin.
Questions people ask
Is the DC-10 still flying?
Yes, but not with airline passengers. About 15 were still flying before the November 2025 grounding, used as aerial firefighting tankers, refuelling tankers and the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital. Biman Bangladesh flew the last scheduled passenger DC-10 flights in 2014, and FedEx has retired its MD-10 freighters.
What was wrong with the DC-10 cargo door?
The rear cargo door opened outward and could appear locked when it was not. When it blew open in flight, the pressure difference collapsed the cabin floor, which carried control cables. A 1972 incident showed the danger, but the door was not fixed before Turkish Airlines 981 crashed near Paris on 3 March 1974, killing all 346 people.
What caused the American Airlines 191 crash?
On 25 May 1979 the left engine and pylon tore off as the DC-10 took off from Chicago O'Hare. A flawed maintenance practice had damaged the pylon. Severed lines let the left wing's slats retract and disabled the stall warning, and the jet rolled over and crashed. All 271 on board and 2 people on the ground died.
How did anyone survive United 232?
When the tail engine's fan disk shattered on 19 July 1989, it cut all three hydraulic systems. The crew, helped by a training captain travelling as a passenger, steered with the throttles of the two wing engines and reached Sioux City. The jet cartwheeled on landing, but 185 of the 296 people on board survived.
Sources
- 1.ASN record: Turkish Airlines flight TK981, Ermenonville, 3 March 1974 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 2.ASN record: American Airlines DC-10, Chicago O'Hare, 25 May 1979 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 3.ASN record: Air New Zealand flight TE901, Mount Erebus, 28 November 1979 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 4.ASN record: United Airlines flight UA232, Sioux City, 19 July 1989 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 5.ASN record: UTA flight UT772, Ténéré desert, 19 September 1989 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 6.SafetyScorer exposure model: OpenSky Network flights 2019-2022, World Bank departures, fleet model (opens in a new tab)Passenger departures 1971 to 7 October 2026. 2019-2022: OpenSky flights by passenger airlines, re-weighted to World Bank departures country by country. Other years: fleet model (deliveries with a median passenger service life of about 24 years, about 1,067 departures per aircraft per year, calibrated on OpenSky 2019). Uncertainty roughly ±25%.