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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1985 · about 4:57 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Abilene, Texas · Dyess Air Force Base · cases near this airport · 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N112AA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10 17 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mcdonnell Douglas 254 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Ge CF6-50A 238 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dyess Air Force Base · nearest airport
- EL Paso International · departed from
- Dallas-Fort Worth International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,061 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,986 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW85IA341.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.