Douglas DC-10-30 accident near Jamestown, New York, April 7, 1986
On April 7, 1986 at about 11:17 pm local time, a Douglas DC-10-30, registered N00SLB, suffered minor damage in an accident near Jamestown, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 2 people were seriously injured and 10 people had minor injuries; 71 others were unhurt. 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 accident. 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
- April 7, 1986 · about 11:17 pm local time
- Place
- Jamestown, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 10 people had minor injuries; 71 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-10-30 · all DC-10-30s on the register
- Registration
- N00SLB · no longer on the register · serial 47907
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A SABENA WORLD AIRLINES DC-10-30 DESCENDING FROM FL 410, ENROUTE FROM DETROIT, MI TO BOSTON MA, ENCOUNTERED HIGH ALTITUDE WINDSHEAR AS IT WAS DESCENDING THROUGH FL 404. THE PILOT, PASSENGERS AND FLIGHT ATTENDENTS STATE THAT THEY FELT VIBRATIONS PRIOR TO AN UPSET THAT CAUSED PASSENGERS, FLIGHT ATTENDENTS AND OBJECT WITHIN THE CABIN TO STRIKE THE CEILING. ELEVEN PASSENGERS AND ONE FLIGHT ATTENDENT WERE INJURED. THREE REQUIRED MEDICAL TREATMENT. PRIOR TO STARTING DESCENT NO ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE REGARDING SEAT BELTS. THE DESCENT WAS REQUESTED BECAUSE OF LARGE AMPLITUDINAL OSCILLATIONS.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 131 in the last 90 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: -14,312 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 143 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 580,000 lb
- Seats: 194
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF650-C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI at 10:05 pm
- Destination: BOS Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 274° at 38 knots
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from DTW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 13 | ||
| Passengers | 2 | 9 | 58 |
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.