The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a large widebody aircraft with three engines, one of just two widebody passenger aircraft with this configuration. First flying on 29 August 1970, it entered revenue service with American Airlines on 5 August 1971.
Designed for medium to long range flights, the penultimate McDonnell Douglas widebody is still in service. FedEx continue to operate over 30 aircraft as freighters. Its last flight as a passenger aircraft was in 2014 with Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 Video
Last week it was a video about Britain’s Bristol Britannia and this week we’re going across the Atlantic to the USA to look at the DC-10. While relatively successful, the aircraft does have a somewhat unfortunate history.
A design flaw in the cargo hold resulted in an incident with American Airlines flight 96 in 1972 and the loss of Turkish Airlines flight 981 in 1974. The crash of American Airlines flight 191 in 1979 resulted in a worldwide grounding of the fleet for about a month.
Air New Zealand lost flight 901 in Antarctica, however this was not a fault with the aircraft. United Airlines flight 232 is the last one where the design contributed, as all hydraulic lines were severed after an uncontained failure of the number two engine.
Despite all of these issues, the aircraft performed well for the airlines that operated it. Both domestically and internationally it was a work horse for airlines not requiring the capacity of a Boeing 747.
A Look Around An Air New Zealand Cabin
Air New Zealand operated the DC-10 in the 1970s into the early 1980s. A passenger on a flight between Sydney and Auckland on 16 June 1980 took these snaps of the economy class cabin.
Overall Thoughts
Considering the DC-10 was in passenger service for 43 years and continues to work as a freighter is testament to the usefulness of the aircraft. Despite the widely publicised accidents, it provided excellent service for many airlines.
I had the pleasure of flying on this aircraft with United Airlines back in 1991. Nothing particularly stands out for me about the flights, apart from the fact I felt unwell on them both times. Weird!
Have you flown on the DC-10 before? What do you remember? Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image via Infinite Flight.
Air New Zealand cabin shots by Wolodymir Nelowkin on Airliners.net and Jetphotos.net.
My first 2 airline trips were on a DC-10 from Dallas to Richmond/Virginia Beach, Virginia when I was 10 yrs old in 1972. My dad was very excited because the plane was brand new, and we would arrive in record time. He allowed me to sit in the window seat, but all I could see was that huge wing. I remember asking why we couldn’t just trade with some of those lucky people in those big middle seats! He couldn’t make me understand how we actually had better seats. I actually have a touch of closterphobia when it comes to my legs so I learned as an adult to arrive early and ask for a bulkhead aisle seat or at least an emergency exit seat…………
That’s great that you have travelled on the DC-10 and when it was so new. I wouldn’t have liked to see the wing so much for a flight, but cool that you remember that! Ahh yes, now you know what seats you prefer. Hopefully you get them most of the time! Thanks for the comment, great hearing your experience there.
I travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Western Australia in December of 1980 with Malaysian Air (MAS). It was the first and last time I’d board a DC10. Before boarding, I saw the aircraft through the window and I knew I was about to board an aircraft type that had a seriously checkered safety history. When you fly a lot as I did then, you tend to listen to current affairs relating to air travel. I was genuinely concerned for my life. Seriously. The bulbous cabin didn’t make me feel secure like a 747. It gave me a sense of looseness and not being tethered to my seat when buckled in. No other aircraft has instilled in me the fear that I was living out on that flight. Now, if you’re in Bali, there’s the tail section of a DC10 set high on a platform which is a great sight but only yields in me, the concern that I held on that night and a memory that remains so vivid in my mind. It was one very dark night time flight back home to Australia. I was genuinely glad to terminate that aircraft. I’ve flown many times on smaller Douglas Aircraft without concern from the early 1970’s domestically in Australia. Aircraft with solid and sound safety records. Even today, if you told me there was an invitation to a free joy flight on a DC10, I’d say have a nice flight, see you after the flight and if ever you’ve got an invitation for a free joy flight on a 747, Queen of the skies, count me in. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.
The elephant 🙂
It would have been in the news quite a bit around that time thanks to all the accidents, so I can understand your trepidation around being on the plane. It’s said one of the reasons Air New Zealand switched to Boeing 747s was because of the DC-10s poor reputation, which was exacerbated by the Erebus crash. Sounds like you remember your only flight on the plane very well indeed. Thanks for the tip on the DC-10 in Bali, just looked that up and seems it was being used as a nightclub a few years ago. I’m with you, I do like the Boeing 747!! A great aircraft, that. Thanks for the comment!
We had the pleasure of flying on DC10s many times ORD-HNL. While I loved the time in Hawaii the best part of getting there was the DC10. I preferred just aft of the starboard wing. Lots of leg room and plenty of width in the seats.
2-5-2 seating was no fun in the middle but I loved the outboard rows. I much preferred the DC10 over the 747. DC10 was older and less refined but those are some of my fondest flying memories.
Yes, they were used quite a lot of the routes to Hawaii. I took a United DC-10 from LAX to HNL once. The thing that stands out about my two flights in the DC-10 was that it was the only aircraft where I felt a little airsick. I didn’t have the same problem with the MD-11, so perhaps it was just my age or something. That block of five in 2-5-2 gives me the creeps 🙂 Thanks for the comment and for sharing your experience!
Rode on them, jumpseated on them, dispatched them. Still miss them. They were not as cool, sophisticated or as quiet as the L10s were, but they were like the blue collar neighbor to the white collar Lockheed. They worked for their living. Today’s aircraft (Dreamliner notwithstanding) struggle to get to M.80, while the DC-10 had a wing which made .86 effortless.
You definitely have some experience with the DC-10 then. I like your blue collar / white collar analogy as well, that’s always been my impression. I’ve flown on the DC-10-10 and DC-10-30 with United, but I never had the opportunity to fly the Lockheed L-1011. It’s weird how the main aircraft of today are often slower than the aircraft of the past. Different design philosophies, I guess! Thanks for the comment!
Flew on Northwest, National and a brand new Delta DC10 ATL-JFK to get married in 1974. The DL DC-10 had just been delivered to DL (DL leased DC10’s from UA until their L1011’s were delivered). We were delayed out of ATL because the passenger door (forward) would not close (refused to come down out of the ceiling). Then the entertainment system would not work. We stayed on the ground for over an hour while they fixed the problems. So much for a brand new airplane! On National, (PHL-MIA) we were served hot towels after the meal, the only time I ever experienced hot towels on an airplane. Nice touch! Northwest had the ugliest interior of any passenger airplane that I ever flew on. Great airplane in its day after they fixed the structural problem. DC10 Vs L1011, DC10 had better economics.
Brand new aeroplanes often have teething problems, so it’s interesting to hear about those you experienced. They certainly would have been really new at that stage. National were a pretty decent airline from what I hear. Hot towels after the meal on a domestic – now that’s something you don’t see anymore in economy class. Fantastic! Haha! Now that Northwest interior sounds memorable for all the wrong reasons! Thanks so much for sharing all of that, I enjoyed it!
It was a great aircraft to fly aboard, especially on AA as they had a stand up BAR in the middle between regular and First/Business where you could get your favorite mixed drink.
Now that’s something you don’t see on American Airlines anymore! That would have been really something – and I wouldn’t have been shy about giving it a try, either! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I flew the DC-10 a few times with AA and LH. Honestly, I was never much of a fan. With ongoing safety issues, I never felt very safe on one. The seating configuration is nice, though, particularly compared to the L1011’s configuration of 2-5-2, if I recall correctly.
There were definitely DC-10’s with 2-5-2 as well and I’ve seen pictures of the original Eastern configuration of the L-1011 as 2-4-2 which would have been very comfortable. It all depends on the airline really, though all airlines went more dense as fuel went up. I think a lot of people feel the way you do, when it comes to the safety. Thanks for the comment!
Yes! My first international flight when I was 10 I think, flew a Northwestern Detroit to CDG on a foreign exchange trip. There were about 35 of us children, I remember on the return journey we all kept getting soda cans then shaking them up before opening. Oh how 36 year old me would slap the shit out of 10 year old me.
Also, the song Spanish Bombs by the Clash mentions a DC-10 in the chorus
Wow, that’s awesome going on foreign exchange that young. Pretty decent! Haha – I am sure the other passengers loved you guys with the soda cans on a long flight. Oh cool, I’ll check out the lyric – thanks for that. Appreciate the comment!