Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40 incident near Denver, Colorado, August 10, 1989
On August 10, 1989, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-40, registered N133JC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 254 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE AND SEPARATION OF A FIRST-STAGE COMPRESSOR FAN BLADE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1989
- Place
- Denver, Colorado
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 254 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
- N133JC · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 38,000 FEET, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN UNCONTAINED FAN BLADE SEPARATION IN THE NO. 2 ENGINE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE FIRST-STAGE COMPRESSOR FAN BLADES (S/N EB2506) HAD SEPARATED ABOUT 8 INCHES ABOVE THE BLADE PLATFORM. FRAGMENTS FROM THE BLADE (#8) HAD EXITED THROUGH THE LEFT FAN COWL IN THREE PLACES AND HAD PENETRATED THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE BLADE SEPARATION STEMMED FROM A 0.34-INCH LONG FATIGUE CRACK THAT BEGAN IN A WELD ADJACENT TO A PATCH. THE FAN BLADE HAD BEEN PATCH-REPAIRED EARLIER, AND SUBJECTED TO FOUR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTS: X-RAY, FLUORESCENT PENETRANT, ULTRASONIC, AND EDDY CURRENT.
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: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 28, 1989; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 455,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-20J (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Los Angeles CA
- Destination: Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 243 |
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.