Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 accident near Jamaica, New York, February 28, 1984
On February 28, 1984 at about 9:16 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30, registered LNRKB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jamaica, New York (John F Kennedy Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was seriously injured and 11 people had minor injuries; 165 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- February 28, 1984 · about 9:16 pm local time
- Place
- Jamaica, New York · John F Kennedy Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 11 people had minor injuries; 165 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 · all DC-10-30s on the register
- Registration
- LNRKB · no longer on the register · serial 46871219
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN ILS APCH TO RWY 4R WITH A TAILWIND, THE ACFT (SCANDINAVIAN FLT 901) WAS BEING FLOWN BY THE COPLT. THE ACFT WAS FAST ON FINAL APCH & WAS LANDED APRX 4700 FT BEYOND THE APCH END OF THE RWY AT 36 KTS ABOVE THE PROGRAMMED TOUCHDOWN SPEED. THE AIRCREW MEMBERS WERE UNABLE TO STOP ON THE REMAINING 3700 FT OF RWY. THE CAPT STEERED THE ACFT TO THE RGT OF THE RWY CENTERLINE TO AVOID A HEAD-ON COLLISION WITH THE APCH LGT PIER AT THE DEPT END. THE LEFT WING HIT THE PIER & THE ACFT CAME TO REST IN A TIDAL WATERWAY. THE OCCUPANTS WERE EVACUATED WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES TO SOME, BUT 1 PAX WITH A CARDIAC CONDITION WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR OVER 48 HRS. A SMALL FIRE WAS CONFINED TO SOME ELECTRIC WIRING & SELF EXTINGUISHED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AUTOTHROTTLE HAD MALFUNCTIONED DURING THE OCCURRENCE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THRUST HAD INCREASED ON FINAL APCH WHEN IT WAS NOT NEEDED. ALSO. THE CREW DID NOT USE THE AIRSPEED 'BUGS' & CALLOUTS DURING THE APCH. THE AUTOTHROTTLE HAD A HISTORY OF MALFUNCTIONS.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 555,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50-C (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Scandinavian Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: Oslo, Norway OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:21 pm from JFK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 11 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 8 | 154 |
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.