Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 incident near Newark, New Jersey, November 22, 1987
On November 22, 1987 at about 4:07 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N121AA, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 94 people were on board or involved. 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
- November 22, 1987 · about 4:07 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 94 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N121AA · registry record · serial 46521
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE HARD LANDING THE CAPTAIN WAS OBSERVED BY THE COPILOT AND FLIGHT ENGINEER TO BE INCAPACITATED. THE COPILOT TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND GUIDED IT ONTO A HIGH SPEED TAXIWAY. WITH THE AID OF A FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND THE FLIGHT ENGINEER MANIPULATING THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING THE AIRPLANE WAS TAXIED SAFELY TO THE GATE. THE CAPTAIN WAS FOUND TO HAVE DIED OF MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION. THE AUTOPSY REVEALED SEVERE OCCLUSIVE ARTHEROSCLEROTIC DISEASE OF SEVERAL CORONARY ARTERIES. THE PILOT HAD A LONG HISTORY OF HYPERTENSION AND GOUT, WHICH HAD BEEN UNDER CONTROL UNTIL 18 MONTHS BEFORE THE INCIDENT WHEN A STRESS TEST WAS ABNORMAL. THE PILOT DID NOT RECEIVE THE RECOMMENDED FOLLOW-UP CARE AND FAILED TO REPORT THIS PROBLEM ON HIS TWO SUBSEQUENT APPLICATIONS FOR CLASS 1 MEDICAL CERTIFICATES, ON WHICH HE FALSELY INDICATED THAT HE WAS ON A FAA-APPROVED HEALTH MAINTENANCE PROGRAM ADMINISTRERED BY AMERICAN AIRLINES.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,550 hours in all; 1,168 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 615,000 lb
- Seats: 290
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ge CF-6-6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 2:14 am
- Destination: EWR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 6,800 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 19 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from EWR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 83 |
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 FTW88IA029.