Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 accident near Los Angeles, CA
On May 21, 1998, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, CA. 4 people were seriously injured.
- Date
- May 21, 1998
- Place
- Los Angeles, CA
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 4 serious, 5 minor
- Damage
- —
- Position
- 33.950°N, 118.400°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X10120
NTSB summary
On May 21,1998, at 1305 hours Pacific daylight time, Continental Airlines Flight 75, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, N68043, experienced an upset while climbing through FL290. The airplane was not damaged. Three flight attendants and one passenger sustained serious injuries and there were 5 minor injuries to passengers. There were 285 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and 3 cockpit crew onboard. The aircraft was operated by Continental Airlines, Inc., under 14 CFR Part 121 of the Federal Aviation Regulations as a scheduled domestic passenger flight, which originated at 1234 from Los Angeles, California, en-route to Honolulu, Hawaii. According to the captain's written statement, he was the flying pilot on this leg of the flight. The aircraft was climbing in smooth air about 500 feet per minute with the No. 1 autopilot engaged. The captain reported that the aircraft began a sudden and hard uncommanded 2g pull-up, with the control yoke moving rapidly aft. He stated that he immediately grabbed the control yoke, disengaged the autopilot, and leveled the aircraft. The captain reported that during this process the aircraft gained 1,200 feet in altitude and lost 30 knots of airspeed before he was able to disconnect the autopilot and regain control. Statements from the cabin crew were reviewed and one passenger was interviewed by telephone. The three flight attendants that sustained serious injuries were in the aft galley preparing for the initial beverage and meal service. The seriously injured passenger was in the aft lavatory near door 4R at the time of the upset. Minor injuries we
Probable cause
The contaminated strain gage, which resulted in shorting of the strain gage's terminal lugs which lead to excessive autopilot initiated elevator movement, and excessive elevator actuation during recovery by the captain. Contributing factors were the failure of the airline maintenance department to diagnose and correct a historical problem with the autopilot system and the manufacturer's inadequate
More accidents in CA
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- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
Browse: California · Mcdonnell Douglas aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
