Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 incident near Abilene, Texas, September 3, 1985
On September 3, 1985 at about 4:57 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N112AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Abilene, Texas (Dyess Air Force Base airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person had minor injuries; 188 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1985 · about 4:57 pm local time
- Place
- Abilene, Texas · Dyess Air Force Base · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 188 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N112AA · registry record · serial 46512
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AA DC-10 ENROUTE EL PASO, TX. TO DFW ARPRT TX. HAD FIRE WARNING #3 ENG. CREW PERFORMED EMERG. PROC. BUT LITE REMAINED ON. CREW MADE EMERGENCY LANDING DYESS AFB ABILENE, TX. PAX EMER EVAC LEFT SIDE OF A/C. AFT SLIDE L4 DEFLATED DURING EVAC 1 PAX RECEIVED MINOR INJ. 20 PAX WERE TREATED FOR VARIOUS ABRASIONS AND BRUISES AND RELEASED. FIRE WARNING CAUSED BY SEPARATED BLEED AIR DUCT. DUE TO FATIGUE WHICH MELTED FIRE WARNING CIRCUIT. REASON FOR SLIDE DEFLATION NOT POSITIVELY DETERMINED.
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: 16,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 37,565 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 311,669 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELP El Paso TX at 2:45 pm
- Destination: DFW Dfw Arpt TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 13,500 ft by 300 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:57 am from ABI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 177 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW85IA341.