Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, July 25, 1997
On July 25, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30, registered N831LA, was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 320 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the aft flight attendant to secure her seat belt. Related factors were turbulence in clouds, and the flight attendant not receiving the crew briefing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 320 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-30 · all DC-10-30s on the register
- Registration
- N831LA · registry record · serial 46936
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane encountered in-flight turbulence and an aft cabin attendant was injured. The captain ensured the seat belt sign was 'ON,' briefed the in-flight director, and told the flight engineer to make sure the cabin attendants were seated. Three minutes before the turbulence encounter, the flight engineer briefed the forward cabin attendant of the anticipated turbulence, and told her to brief the rest of the cabin crew. After securing a portion of her galley, she only briefed the mid galley cabin crew, and assumed that the in-flight director had briefed the rest of the cabin crew. The in-flight director said by the time the cockpit called to advise of moderate turbulence and to sit, it was too late. The cabin attendants in the aft galley did not receive the briefing and their beverage carts were not secured. Shortly after the accident, the carrier published crew notification and procedure changes in their operations manuals for turbulence encounters and other in flight emergencies.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 21,351 hours in all; 773 in this make and model; 243 in the last 90 days; 93 in the last 30 days; 13,259 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,409 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 17, 1997; 165 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 565,000 lb
- Seats: 324
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Laker Airways, INC
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 9:32 pm
- Destination: EGPK Prestwick, Scot OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from JAX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | 10 | |
| Passengers | 310 |
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.