The DC-10 Years After
Problems with DC-10s were discovered as a cause of the accident, including deficiencies in design specifications and maintenance procedures which made damage very likely. In response to this accident, American Airlines was fined $500,000 by the United States government for improper maintenance procedures.
On June 6, 1979, two weeks after the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration suspended the type certificate for the DC-10, thereby grounding all examples of the jet under its jurisdiction. Additionally a special air regulation was enacted prohibiting the DC-10 from operating within U.S. airspace, which prevented foreign DC-10s not under the jurisdiction of the FAA from flying within the country. This was done while the FAA investigated whether or not the airplane's engine mount and pylon design met relevant requirements. Once the FAA was satisfied that maintenance issues were primarily at fault and not the actual design of the aircraft, the type certificate was restored on July 13 and the special air regulation repealed. However, the type certificate was amended, stating that "...removal of the engine and pylon as a unit will immediately render the aircraft unairworthy."
The crash of another DC-10 in November 1979, Air New Zealand Flight 901, added to the DC-10's negative reputation. Flight 901, an Antarctic sightseeing flight which hit a mountain, was caused by several human and environmental factors not related to the airworthiness of the DC-10, and the aircraft was later completely exonerated in that accident.
Ironically, the 1989 crash of another DC-10, United Airlines Flight 232, restored some of the aircraft's reputation. Despite losing an engine and all flight controls and crash-landing in a huge fireball (which was caught on video by a local news crew), 185 people would survive the accident. Experts praised the DC-10's sturdy construction as partly responsible for the high number of survivors.
Despite the initial safety concerns, the DC-10 continued to serve with passenger airlines until the mid 2000s. Newer, more fuel-efficient twin-engine airplanes and not safety concerns ultimately ended the passenger career of the DC-10. Many retired passenger DC-10s have since been converted to all-cargo use. Modified passenger DC-10s, along with the newer variant, the MD-11, form the backbone of the FedEx Express fleet. The DC-10s have been upgraded with the glass cockpit from the MD-11, thereby turning them into MD-10s.
Read more about this topic: American Airlines Flight 191
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