Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 incident near Newark, New Jersey, December 8, 1983
On December 8, 1983 at about 2:44 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N103AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 160 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 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1983 · about 2:44 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 160 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N103AA · registry record · serial 546503
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE TRUCK BEAM FAILURE AFTER TOUCHDOWN. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED A CRACK NEAR THE RIGHT REAR TRUCK PIVOT PIN LUBRICATION HOLE WHICH SHOWED PROPAGATION TO THE LOWER END OF THE GREASE HOLE ON THE MATING SURFACE. GREASE HOLE WALLS SHOWED PITTING & CORROSION. TIME INTERVALS FOR SERVICE BULLENTIN INSPECTIONS EXCEEDED THOSE RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER.
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: 23,985 hours in all; 3,700 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32,232 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 9, 1982; 3,186 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 440,000 lb
- Seats: 345
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ge CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 9,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 17 knots, gusting 27
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Observation at 2:50 am from EWR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 149 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 NYC84IA048.