Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 accident near Sioux City, Iowa, July 19, 1989
On July 19, 1989 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N1819U, was destroyed in an accident near Sioux City, Iowa (Sioux Gateway airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 111 people were killed, 47 people were seriously injured and 125 people had minor injuries; 13 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INADEQUATE CONSIDERATION GIVEN TO HUMAN FACTORS LIMITATIONS IN THE INSPECTION AND QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES USED BY UNITED AIRLINES' ENGINE OVERHAUL FACILITY WHICH RESULTED IN THE FAILURE TO DETECT A FATIGUE CRACK ORIGINATING FROM A PREVIOUSLY UNDECTECTED METALLURGICAL DEFECT LOCATED IN A CRITICAL AREA OF THE STAGE 1 FAN DISK THAT WAS MANUFACTURED BY GENERAL ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT ENGINES. THE SUBSEQUENT CATASTROPHIC DISINTEGRATION OF THE DISK RESULTED IN THE LIBERATION OF DEBRIS IN A PATTERN OF DISTRIBUTION AND WITH ENERGY LEVELS THAT EXCEEDED THE LEVEL OF PROTECTION PROVIDED BY DESIGN FEATURES OF THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS THAT OPERATED THE DC-10'S FLIGHT CONTROLS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1989 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sioux City, Iowa · Sioux Gateway
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 111 people were killed, 47 people were seriously injured and 125 people had minor injuries; 13 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N1819U · no longer on the register · serial 46618
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report on this investigation is provided as Aviation Accident Report number AAR-90/06. To obtain a copy of this report, or to view the executive summary online, please see the Web site at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm UNITED AIRLINE FLT 232 WAS CRUISING AT FL 370, WHEN THERE WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE # 2 (TAIL MOUNTED) ENG. THIS WAS DUE TO SEPN, FRAGMENTATION & FORCEFUL DISCHARGE OF THE STAGE 1 FAN ROTOR ASSEMBLY PARTS FM THE #2 ENG (UNCONTAINED FAILURE), WHICH LED TO LOSS OF THE 3 HYD SYSTEMS THAT POWERED THE FLT CTLS. THE FLIGHTCREW EXPERIENCED SEVERE DIFFICULTIES CTLG THE ACFT, WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY CRASHED DRG AN EMERG LNDG AT SIOUX CITY. AN INV REVEALED EVIDENCE CONCERNING LIMITATIONS IN INSPN & QUALITY CTL PROC USED DRG ENG OVERHAUL, WHICH RESULTED IN A FAILURE TO DETECT A FATIGUE CRACK, ORIGINATING FM A PREVIOUSLY UNDETECTED METALLURGICAL DEFECT IN A CRITICAL AREA OF THE STATE 1 FAN DISK. (SEE: NTSB/AAR-90/06)
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: 29,967 hours in all; 7,190 in this make and model; 213 in the last 90 days; 74 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 430,000 lb
- Seats: 345
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 7:09 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 6,600 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 6 | 4 | |
| Passengers | 110 | 41 | 121 | 13 |
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.