McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 N1815U
16 July 1982 · Morton, Wyoming, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 16 July 1982 at about 18:02 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 registered N1815U, operated by United Airlines, was involved in an accident near Morton, Wyoming, United States. 168 people were on board and 7 were seriously injured, 19 had minor injuries. The aircraft was slightly damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 18:02
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Morton, Wyoming, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
- Registration
- N1815U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 3
- Operator
- United Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Boston → San Francisco
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX82AA259
People
7 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 168 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 142 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
WHILE FLYING IN GOOD WX OVER CENTRAL WYOMING, THE CAPTAIN NOTED A GENTLE WAVE MOTION THAT CAUSED THE AUTOTHROTTLES TO REACT. THEREFORE, HE DISENGAGED THE AUTOTHROTTLES AND AUTOPILOT. THE ACFT HAD LOST 250 FT DRG THE WAVE MOTION, SO THE CAPTAIN TURNED ON THE SEAT BELT SIGN & BEGAN A CLIMB BACK TO 39,000 FT. ABOUT 30 SEC LATER (APRX 4 MIN AFT THE INITIAL WAVE ACTION), THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A SHARP JOLT. THE VERT "G" FORCES WENT FROM MINUS .6 TO POSITIVE 1.6 G IN APRX 1.25 SEC. THE AIR WAS SMOOTH AFTER THE JOLT & NO AFCT SYS WAS AFFECTED. A DOCTOR TREATED THE INJURED WHILE THE FLT CONTINUED TO DESTINATION. A WX SUMMARY INDICATED THAT THE ACFT HAD ENCOUNTERED A MOUNTAIN WAVE AND/OR TURBULENCE WINDSHEAR NEAR THE TROPOPAUSE. INDICATIONS NORMALLY USED TO FORECAST WAVES WERE NOT PRESENT UNTIL THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas DC-10 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Aug 1982 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | World Airways, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Feb 1982 | McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | United Airlines Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Dec 1982 | McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-30 | Thermal, California, United States | American Airlines, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 1982 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | World Airways, Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 12 Oct 1983 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Atlantic Ocean | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 1983 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 May 1982 | Cessna 180D | Gillette, Wyoming, United States | Laurita Hefner/Sanna Green | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1982 | Gulfstream American G-159C | Gillette, Wyoming, United States | U.s. Aviation, Inc./Air U.s., | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jun 1982 | Grumman G-159C | Gillette, Wyoming, United States | U.s. Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1982 | Helio H-395 | Gillette, Wyoming, United States | Jonathan H. Reiners | No injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 1982 | Swearingen SA-227AC | Gillette, Wyoming, United States | Pioneer Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 27 May 1982 | Cessna 172P | Osage, Wyoming, United States | Northern Productions | Fatal | 1 |