Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 accident near Los Angeles, California, May 21, 1998
On May 21, 1998 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N68043, was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 4 people were seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 289 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The contaminated strain gage, which resulted in shorting of the strain gage's terminal lugs which lead to excessive autopilot initiated elevator movement, and excessive elevator actuation during recovery by the captain. Contributing factors were the failure of the airline maintenance department to diagnose and correct a historical problem with the autopilot system and the manufacturer's inadequate quality assurance program.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1998 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 289 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N68043 · no longer on the register · serial 46902
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was climbing in smooth air about 500 feet per minute with the No. 1 autopilot engaged. The captain reported that the aircraft began a sudden and hard uncommanded 2g pull-up, with the control yoke moving rapidly aft. He immediately grabbed the control yoke, disengaged the autopilot, and leveled the aircraft. Three flight attendants in the aft galley and one passenger in an aft lavatory sustained serious injuries. The aft galley flight attendants described the onset of the event as 'being pulled to the floor by what felt like a strong pull of gravity.' The force suddenly reversed and the three were 'thrown up into the ceiling.' Another force reversal followed and the three were 'slammed down against the floor.' The flight attendants said that a 'roller coaster' type movement then occurred, which quickly damped into a steady state. Review of the aircraft's maintenance records for the year preceding the accident revealed over 50 discrepancies for autopilot system uncommanded disconnects, uncommanded pitch-ups, and failures to engage. Review of the DFDR data revealed that as the aircraft passed through 29,200 feet, four pitch cycles were recorded over a 15-second time period and were accompanied by vertical accelerations, the most severe of which was between 1.84 and -0.12 g's. The initial uncommanded nose pitch-up was preceded by an autopilot controlled movement of the left inboard elevator. The subsequent elevator movements and resultant pitch excursions were due to the pilot's control inputs. With the exception of the captain's and first officer's control wheel sensor units, all autopilot systems passed functional checks. Postaccident test of the first officer's control wheel sensor unit showed an out of tolerance and drifting null signal for the strain gage which provides pitch signal input to the No. 1 autopilot. After about 3 minutes, the signal became noisy and jumped to values of up to 4 volts several times. Many spikes were also observed at values under 3.5 volts (signals over 3.5 volts trigger an automatic disengagement of the autopilot). Subsequent examination of the pitch strain gages by optical magnification found a foreign black-gray metallic-like substance bridging the terminal lug ends. Analysis showed the material was a silver based conductive substance, lying below a factory applied sealing layer, which was introduced during manufacture. The solder on the lugs and the wire used between the lugs and terminals was found not to be consistent with the manufacturer's specifications.
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: 17,000 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,887 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 14, 1998; 270 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 430,000 lb
- Seats: 302
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: LAX at 7:34 pm
- Destination: HON Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from LAX, 150 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 10 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 5 | 279 |
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 N68043 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.