Douglas DC-10-30F incident near Chantilly, Virginia, June 2, 1985
On June 2, 1985 at about 9:43 pm local time, a Douglas DC-10-30F, registered N106WA, was involved in an incident near Chantilly, Virginia (Dulles International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 201 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 1985 · about 9:43 pm local time
- Place
- Chantilly, Virginia · Dulles International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 201 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-10-30F · all DC-10-30Fs on the register
- Registration
- N106WA · registry record · serial 46905
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER CLIMBING UP TO AND LEVELING OFF AT 37,000 FEET, THE CREW OF THE DC-10-30F NOTICED THAT THE YORK CONTROL OF THE CAPTAIN AND THE FIRST OFFICER MOVED LATERALLY INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO INCHES. AFTER MAKING AN UNSCHEDULED UNEVENTFUL LANDING AT DULLES THE LEFT AILERON CABLE TENSION REGULATOR ASSEMBLY WAS FOUND TO HAVE A DECREASE IN CABLE TENSION. AFTER LUBRICATION, THE UNIT JUMPED TO A POSITION WHICH PROVIDED PROPER CABLE TENSION BETWEEN THE CONTROL WHEEL AND THE AILERON CONTROL LOOP. THE OPERATOR CHANGED THEIR LUBRICATION PROGRAM ON THE ASSEMBLIES FROM 'ON CONDITION' TO EVERY 2500 HOURS WHICH EQUATES TO MORE THAN ONCE A YEAR.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,500 hours in all; 4,200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,126 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 972,000 lb
- Seats: 380
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHS Charleston SC at 8:28 pm
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1B, 11,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Observation at 9:00 pm from IAD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 188 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO85IA050.