Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 11, 1997
On May 11, 1997 at about 11:34 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30, registered GNIUK, was involved in an accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Luis Munoz Marin Intl. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was seriously injured; 262 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an on ground engine fire in the No. 3 (right) engine resulting from a failed heat exchanger, and subsequent fuel leak. A factor in this accident was the cabin crew's improper handling of the evacuation which resulted in serious injury to a passenger.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 1997 · about 11:34 pm local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Luis Munoz Marin Intl.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 262 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 · all DC-10-30s on the register
- Registration
- GNIUK · no longer on the register · serial 46932
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was taxiing for departure on taxiway 'N', when a smell fuel was detected in the cabin. About the same time, the crew of a commuter flight taxiing behind, the DC-10, reported that the right engine was on fire. The crew saw the smoke from the cockpit window, the captain stopped the airplane, shut the engines down, and order an evacuation. Crash fire rescue equipment was used to put out the fire. Examination of the right engine [No.3] revealed that the fuel/oil heat exchanger (part number 158210-11) had failed as a result of fretting wear between the baffle plate and the retaining slots in the casing, causing a fuel leak. There was no damage to the engine or the airframe. According to a passenger's description of the evacuation there was general panic in the cabin, passengers screamed and pushed to get out. Some passengers had not cleared the bottom of the escape chute, because no one was at the bottom of the chute to help people stand up and move out of the way promptly. After evacuating the airplane passengers were standing around on the tarmac and did not know were to go, because nobody was directing passengers away from the plane. Some passengers were standing near the bottom of the chute, and others were moving away in all possible directions.
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: 11,000 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 6,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59,751 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 570,801 lb
- Seats: 263
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: LGW Gatwick OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 10,002 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 14 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 248 |
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.