Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30F incident near Honolulu, Hawaii, August 22, 1982
On August 22, 1982 at about 1:19 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30F, registered N104WA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 393 people were on board or involved. 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1982 · about 1:19 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 393 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
- N104WA · no longer on the register · serial 46986
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ROTATION, THE FIRE BELL AND THE #2 ENGINE FIRE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CREW NOTED A POWER LOSS ON THE #2 ENGINE. THE TAKEOFF WAS CONTINUED, THE ENGINE SECURED AND THE FIRE BOTTLES DISCHARGED. THE FIRE CONTINUED TO BURN. THE AIRCRAFT CIRCLED AND MADE A NORMAL APPROACH AND LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT BRAKE SYSTEM OVERHEATED DURING THE OVERWEIGHT LANDING, HOWEVER THERE WAS NO OTHER DAMAGE OR INJURIES. TEARDOWN OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT A COMPRESSOR BLADE HAD SEPARATED IN FATIGUE ON THE 6TH STAGE HPC ROTOR. THE FAILED BLADE THEN DAMAGED THE 7TH AND REMAINING STAGES AND IGNITED A TITANIUM CASE FIRE. THE ORIGIN OF THE FATIGUE APPEARED TO HAVE PROPAGATED FROM THE DOVETAIL AREA.
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: 21,000 hours in all; 3,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,578 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 565,000 lb
- Seats: 398
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50C1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: World Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HNL Honolulu HI at 3:19 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8R, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 190°F (88°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from HNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 380 |
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.