Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40 incident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 5, 1987
On October 5, 1987 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40, registered N157US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 132 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
- October 5, 1987 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 132 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
- N157US · no longer on the register · serial 46766
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AFTER EXHAUST CENTERBODY FELL AWAY FROM THE #1 ENGINE DURING INITIAL CLIMB. THE CENTERBODY LANDED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY WITH NO PROPERTY DAMAGE. A SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO INSPECT THE CENTERBODY AND REPLACE THE CENTERBODY ATTACH BOLTS WITHIN 1000 HOURS OF DATE OF ISSUE OF THE SERVICE BULLETIN HAD NOT BEEN COMPLIED WITH.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,921 hours in all; 8,659 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 19, 1987; 1,036 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 555,000 lb
- Seats: 345
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-20 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines
The flight
- Destination: MSP Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 280° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:00 pm from MKE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 123 |
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.