1988-01-10: Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10 (N142AA) — Dfw Airport, TX

Casualties unknownDfw Airport, TX, US

A passenger sustained a fractured arm when an aircraft door opened unexpectedly while he was removing luggage from a forward bulkhead compartment during deplaning.

What happened

During the deplaning process, a passenger seated in the first row of the cabin was retrieving carry-on luggage from a storage compartment located in the forward bulkhead. This compartment is situated adjacent to the number one left (1L) entry door. At the time, other passengers were exiting the aircraft through the number two left (2L) door.

Company procedures required flight attendants to monitor the forward 1L door during this phase of operations. However, none of the flight attendants were present at that location, representing a deviation from standard protocol. The bulkhead compartment was typically reserved for crew use only but was being utilized by passengers due to a lack of available space elsewhere in the cabin.

A gate agent on the ground unexpectedly opened the 1L door from the outside. As the door moved inward and upward into the aircraft, it struck the passenger. His head and left shoulder were caught between the moving door and the forward bulkhead structure. The force of the opening door lifted him upward before he fell back onto the cabin floor once the door fully opened.

The incident resulted in a fractured arm for the affected passenger. No other injuries were reported among the passengers or crew involved in this specific event.

Probable cause

The unexpected opening of the aircraft entry door by a gate agent while a passenger was occupying the adjacent compartment, combined with the failure of flight attendants to monitor the door as required by company procedures.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001213X24905. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.