Douglas DC-10-10 incident near Norfolk, Virginia, August 21, 1983
On August 21, 1983 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Douglas DC-10-10, registered N69NA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Norfolk, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 289 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 21, 1983 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 289 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N69NA · registry record · serial 46942
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT EXPERIENCED SEVERE VIBRATIONS IN FLIGHT & MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE NUMBER 2 ENGINE. IT WAS DETERMINED IN A SUBSEQUENT TEARDOWN THAT THE SECOND STAGE HIGH PRESSURE TURBINE BLADE HAD FAILED IN FLIGHT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 1,060 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23,234 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 19, 1983; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 430,000 lb
- Seats: 350
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 9:34 am
- Destination: JFK New York City NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Observation at 2:51 pm from PHF, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 12 | |||
| Passengers | 277 |
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.