Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40 incident near Clarion, Pennsylvania, May 26, 1983
On May 26, 1983 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40, registered N154US, was involved in an incident near Clarion, Pennsylvania. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 151 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1983 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Clarion, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 151 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40 · all DC-10-40s on the register
- Registration
- N154US · registry record
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING DESCENT IN TURBULENCE THE CREW NOTED ALL 3 ENGINES WERE OVERTEMPTING AND EXPERIENCING COMPRESSOR STALLS. ATTEMPTSTO REDUCE THROTTLES DID NOT REDUCE THE TEMPERATURES. NO 183 ENGINES WERE SHUT DOWN. DURING DIVERSION TO A CLOSE AIRPORT THE ENGINES WERE RESTARTED AN A LANDING WAS MADE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 555,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Philadelphi PA
- Destination: DTW Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; scat at 1,700 ft
- Temperature: 1°F (-17°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Observation at 12:51 pm from CLE, 105 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 143 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N154US the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.