Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30F accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, November 8, 1999
On November 8, 1999 at about 7:20 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30F, registered N602GC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot-in-command initiated an evasive manuver during a near midair collission. The airplane entered a prestall buffet, which resulted in buckling of the elevator skins.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 1999 · about 7:20 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30F · all DC-10-30Fs on the register
- Registration
- N602GC · no longer on the register · serial 47923
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The DC-10 captain, in response to a Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) alert, made an aggressive pitch change and felt a slight buffet as the airplane decelerated. The maneuver resulted in wrinkling of the elevator skins. Air Traffic Control (ATC) instructed a DC-9 crew to maintain visual separation and the DC-9 crew accepted the instruction. The airplanes were about 7 miles from each other in night conditions on converging courses; the DC-9 was descending out of 5,000 feet and the DC-10 was climbing through 3,800 feet. The controller had to repeat instructions to the DC-10 crew, as well as other crews. One crew informed ATC that their radio transmissions were weak. Douglas Flight Operation Letter AOL, C1-E60-HHK-L033 dated January 21, 1988, explained probable resultant damage to aircraft components when speed was reduced to buffet speeds indicated on the Cruise Buffet Onset Boundary Chart as presented in the DC-10 Aircraft Flight Manual. It noted that in some cases this buffeting resulted in wrinkled outboard elevator skins. It emphasized that speed reduction down to or near the clean configuration stalling speed greatly increased the chance of experiencing elevator damage.
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: 11,783 hours in all; 1,595 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 6,836 as pilot in command; 748 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 4, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,370 hours in all; 166 in this make and model; 141 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 3,437 as pilot in command; 1,291 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 19, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight Engineer
- Certificate: flight engineer
- Flight time: 6,021 hours in all
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 98,292 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 5, 1999; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 575,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric CF6-5002 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI at 7:15 am
- Destination: NFFN Nandi Fiji
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 049° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from HNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 |
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.
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.