Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10 incident near Boston, Massachusetts, March 6, 2001
On March 6, 2001 at about 6:00 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10, registered N375FE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Boston, Massachusetts (Boston Logan airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate de-ice and preflight inspection procedure of the #2 engine inlet and bellmouth area by company maintenance personnel that resulted in ice ingestion and foreign object damage of the #2 engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2001 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts · Boston Logan · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10 · all DC-10s on the register
- Registration
- N375FE · no longer on the register · serial 46613
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The three-engine jet was parked outside in snowy weather all day. During the 2 hours prior to departure, the airplane was treated three times with de-ice and anti-ice fluid. At takeoff, sparks were observed coming from the #2 (center), tail-mounted engine. No abnormal indications were observed on the engine instruments in the cockpit, but a slight vibration was felt, and the flight crew elected to return to the departure airport. At touchdown, reverse thrust was selected on all three engines and a fire erupted from the #2 engine. Both the flight crew in the airplane, and crash/fire/rescue personnel on the ground responded to the fire, and no one was injured. An FAA airworthiness directive mandated that a thorough preflight inspection of the #2 engine inlet and bellmouth area be conducted in icing conditions. The maintenance personnel that performed the de-ice procedure and the preflight inspection, said that a puddle of de-ice fluid was visible in the #2 engine bellmouth area. Post-accident examination of the #2 engine revealed "soft body" damage, consistent with the ingestion of ice, and "hard body" damage, consistent with the ingestion of ice-damaged engine parts. Examination of the airplane revealed that the heated bellmouth drain-line modification that was noted in the logbook, had not been completed.
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: 5,762 hours in all; 2,124 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,442 hours in all; 461 in this make and model; 134 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 11, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight Engineer
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,434 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 72,372 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 25, 2001; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 443,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Ge CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Ge CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: Ge CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA at 5:15 am
- Destination: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 04R, 10,005 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 16 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; a few clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.55 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 am from BOS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 N375FE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.