Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40 incident near Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 17, 1984
On May 17, 1984 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40, registered N150US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 239 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 17, 1984 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Minneapolis, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 239 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
- N150US · no longer on the register · serial N-150US
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CLIMB FROM FL330 TO FL370 THE 1ST OFFICER SAW SPARKS AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE LEFT SIDE PANEL UNDER HIS GLARE SHIELD. COCKPIT LIGHTS WERE TURNED OFF AND SMOKE STOPPED. FLT RETURNED TO MINNEAPOLIS AND LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. INSPECTION OF THE ACFT DISCLOSED THE FIRE WAS IN A WIRE BUNDLE LOCATED BTW CENTER OF INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE FLORESCENT LIGHT UNDERNEATH THE 1ST OFFICER'S GLARE SHIELD. THE WIRE BUNDLE (REINSTALLED 4 DAYS BEFORE) WAS STRETCHED TIGHTLY ACROSS THE LEFT END OF THE FLORESCENT LIGHT AND WAS FORCED TO TURN AN ABRUPT ANGLE ACROSS A SHARP METAL EDGE ON THE LIGHT. INSULATION AND FABRIC SLEEVE AROUND THE WIRES WAS BURNED LEAVING THE WIRES EXPOSED. TESTING OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS DID NOT DETERMINE WHY THEY FAILED TO OPEN.
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
- Flight time: 16,966 hours in all; 498 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 555,000 lb
- Seats: 284
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-20 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: BOS Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 18 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; not recorded at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from MSP, 160 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 236 |
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.
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.