Background
On March 1, 1978, Continental Air Lines, Inc., Flight 603, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 (N68045), was scheduled to fly from Los Angeles International Airport, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii. The runway (6R) was wet but without standing water.
Accident Sequence
At 0923:17, Los Angeles local control cleared Flight 603 for takeoff, but the flightcrew did not acknowledge immediately. The captain delayed because he believed the clearance came too soon after a heavy jet takeoff. When the clearance was acknowledged at 0923:57, the crew proceeded. Acceleration was normal with all engine instruments in the normal range. As airspeed approached V1 (156 knots), the captain heard a loud "metallic bang" followed by a quivering of the aircraft. The left wing dropped slightly. A rejected takeoff was initiated immediately. According to the digital flight data recorder, airspeed continued to increase to about 159 knots before deceleration. The captain applied full brake pressure while returning thrust levers to idle and then full reverse thrust. The aircraft first moved left of the runway centerline, then the captain steered right to avoid stanchions. The aircraft departed the right corner of the departure end of runway 6R.
Aftermath
About 100 feet beyond the runway, the left main landing gear broke through the nonload-bearing tarmac surface and failed rearward. Fire erupted immediately. The aircraft dropped onto the left wing and No. 1 engine and rotated left as it slid. It stopped between two approach light stanchions for runway 24L, approximately 664 feet from the departure end and 40 feet right of the extended centerline, on a heading of 008°, in an 11° left wing low, 1.3° noseup attitude. Evacuation began immediately. Two passengers were killed; other occupants evacuated, some with serious injuries.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the sequential failure of two tires on the left main landing gear and the resultant failure of another tire on the same landing gear at a critical time during the takeoff roll. These failures resulted in the captain's decision to reject the takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the cumulative effect of the partial loss of aircraft braking because of the failed tires and the reduced braking friction achievable on the wet runway surface which increased the accelerate-stop distance to a value greater than the available runway length. These factors prevented the captain from stopping the aircraft within the runway confines. The failure of the left main landing gear and the consequent rupture of the left wing fuel tanks resulted in an intense fire which added to the severity of the accident.