Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10 accident near Dfw Airport, Texas, January 10, 1988
On January 10, 1988 at about 1:28 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10, registered N142AA, was involved in an accident near Dfw Airport, Texas (Dfw airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 290 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNEXPECTED OPENING OF THE IL DOOR, WHICH CAUGHT THE PASSENGER BETWEEN IT AND THE BULKHEAD AS THE DOOR MOVED INWARD AND UPWARD. A SECONDARY CAUSE WAS THE FAILURE OF THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO FOLLOW COMPANY PROCEDURES REQUIRING THEM TO GUARD ALL ENTRY DOORS DURING THE DEPLANING PROCESS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 1988 · about 1:28 pm local time
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas · Dfw
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 290 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10 · all DC-10s on the register
- Registration
- N142AA · registry record · serial 46714
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE DEPLANING, A PASSENGER (PAX) FROM THE 1ST ROW OF THE CABIN WAS REMOVING CARRY-ON LUGGAGE FROM A COMPARTMENT IN THEFORWARD BULKHEAD, ADJACENT TO THE 1L ENTRY DOOR, AS OTHER PAX WERE EXITING VIA THE 2L DOOR. NONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE MONITORING THE FORWARD (1L) DOOR, WHICH WAS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH COMPANY PROCEDURES. UNEXPECTANTLY, A GATE AGENT OPENED THE 1L DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. AS IT MOVED INWARD & UPWARD, THE PAX'S HEAD & LEFT SHOULDER WERE CAUGHT BETWEEN THE DOOR & THE FORWARD BULKHEAD, CAUSING HIM TO BE CARRIED UP WITH THE DOOR. HE THEN FELL TO THE CABIN FLOOR AS THE DOOR WENT FULLY OPEN, SUSTAINING A FRACTURED ARM. THE COMPARTMENT WAS NORMALLY USED BY CREW ONLY, BUT WAS UTILIZED IN THIS CASE DUE TO LACK OF OTHER SPACE.
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: 23,000 hours in all; 1,820 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 555,000 lb
- Seats: 313
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI
- Destination: DFW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 277 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N142AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 FTW88LA050.