Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, May 2, 2007
On May 2, 2007 at about 3:06 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30, registered N270AX, was involved in an incident near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 306 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper overhaul of the horizontal stabilizer chain drive unit drive assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 2007 · about 3:06 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 306 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 · all DC-10-30s on the register
- Registration
- N270AX · no longer on the register · serial 48318
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While flying at 13,000 feet mean sea level (msl), and decelerating to 250 knots in a DC-10-30 airplane, the horizontal stabilizer could not be moved by either commands from the autopilot or using the primary and alternate control switches from the cockpit. The horizontal stabilizer remained at approximately 1 degree airplane nose-up which resulted in excessive cockpit control forces. An emergency was declared with air traffic control and the flight landed uneventfully on runway 27R at ATL. The inoperative horizontal stabilizer trim system was caused by improper overhaul of the horizontal stabilizer chain drive unit drive assembly (horizontal stabilizer drive assembly) P/N AJH 7337-507, S/N DCA-418 by omission of one pin (P/N 3D0009-5-4), one nut (P/N MS21043-08), and one washer (P/N NAS 1252-BL) which secure the drive gear of the horizontal stabilizer drive assembly. The omission of the parts resulted in fatigue failure of another pin (P/N AJH7378-1) and shear failure of the single installed pin (P/N 3D0009-5-4). This prevented output of the horizontal stabilizer drive assembly being transmitted to acme screws of the horizontal stabilizer. There was no flight crew write-ups for the previous 93 days related to pitch trim. The horizontal stabilizer drive assembly was overhauled on April 30, 1999, and installed in the incident airplane on April 23, 2006. The airplane had accumulated 2,421 hours and 473 cycles since the overhauled assembly was installed.
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, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Last flight review: April 8, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Last flight review: April 8, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight Engineer
- Certificate: commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,144 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 572,000 lb
- Seats: 373
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric CF6-50C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Omni Air International INC
The flight
- Departed from: EINN Shannon at 7:30 am
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from ATL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 14 | |||
| Passengers | 292 |
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.
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 MIA07IA088.