What happened
On August 7, 1985, at approximately 20:00 EDT, an McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 operated by American Airlines experienced a mechanical incident during its departure from Detroit Airport in Detroit, Michigan. The aircraft, registered as N111AA, had departed the airport five minutes earlier at 19:55 EDT on a scheduled passenger flight.
While climbing to cruise altitude under visual meteorological conditions and an filed instrument flight rules (IFR) plan, a piece of the engine exited the engine case and cowling. The aircraft sustained minor damage during the event.
The investigation
The source documentation for this incident does not provide specific details regarding the mechanical examination or findings beyond the initial observation of the component detachment.
Findings
The flight originated at Detroit, Michigan, on August 7, 1985. At the time of the incident, visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The aircraft sustained minor damage as a result of the engine component exiting the cowling.
Safety message
No explicit safety message was stated in the source documentation for this report.