AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines, the airline which sponsored the development of the DC-10, went through all successes and failures of the DC-10, marking the lowest point of the DC-10's history: The crash of AA 191 (46510/ 22) on May 25th 1979 which caused 273 fatalities. Although American Airlines was neither a costumer for the DC-8 nor for the DC-9, the long-time relation between American and Douglas has since ever been excellent, especially as American sposored also the development of the DC-3 and the DC-7. AA was the first to recognize that the 747 was far too large to serve all main routes and that an aircraft larger than the DC-8/707 was needed, so they asked Lockheed and Douglas for an airliner in this cathegory. It was hard to convince American that a three-engined airliner would fit better in the needs of American Airlines as well as in those of the other large US-carriers. Douglas (later Mc Donnell - Douglas) worked several years together on this project until two variants, the DC-10 A and the -B were the results of that effort. Launching an aircraft between the -A and the -B, AA defined the size of the DC-10 as we know it today. The order for 25 DC-10-10 + 25 options, the first for the new Douglas Commercial, was placed on February 19th 1968 and all but fifteen optional aircraft were taken up. Ship #5, was delivered on July 29th 1971 together with United's first aircraft and only seven days later, on August 5th, this aircraft made the first DC-10 flight from Los Angeles to Chicago. The first DC-10 accident ever happened, the opening of a cargo door over Windsor, Ontario which ended in a lucky emergency landing, was the beginning of a media battle againts the DC-10 which also affected American Airlines and later culminated in the absurdity of a five-week-grounding after the Chicago accident. That was no reason to loose confidence in the DC-10 after all and AA also added more DC-10s to its fleet, including the whole fleet from National Airlines (which became surplus for Pan Am), some other DC-10-10s from different sources, for example Western Air Lines, and a small fleet of DC-10-30s (mainly from Air New Zealand) for American's first intercontinental flights. After N110AA, two DC-10-30s were lost in smaller accidents without casualties, but nethertheless, the DC-10 has been more than a workhorse for American Airlines: It was their flagship for over 20 years and it was the aircraft which enabled American Airlines to inaugurate flights over the atlantic ocean. American's last DC-10 service took place on November 21st 2000 and was operated by the former KLM aircraft #91 (N143AA). The DC-10 was the aircraft which made American Airlines what it is today: The world's second largest airline and the world's second largest DC-10 operator of all times. Now, all AA DC-10s have been withdrawn from use and sold to FedEx, but the Mc Donnell - Douglas DC-10 will ever be one of the most important chapters in the history of American Airlines.
Photos:
Upper right: Nose of an 46938/ 153, San Juan/Puerto Rico, 1998 - BY JOE PRIES
Left: American Airlines DC-10, Mexico City, 1980 - BY JORGE ROCAFORT
Lower right: Tail of an AA DC-10 - BY BILL PAULSEN
Registration | Aircraft | Fleetnr./Name | Operated from - to | Where is it now? |
N101AA | 46500/ 1 | 08.12.1972 - 15.11.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N102AA | 46502/ 3 | 27.06.1972 - 22.09.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N103AA | 46503/ 5 | 29.07.1971 - 19.10.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N104AA | 46504/ 7 | 17.09.1971 - 16.09.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N105AA | 46505/ 9 | 09.11.1971 - 17.11.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N106AA | 46506/ 12 | 10.12.1971 - 26.10.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N107AA | 46507/ 13 | 15.12.1971 - 04.11.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N108AA | 46508/ 20 | 31.01.1972 - 01.10.1993 | -stored- | |
N109AA | 46509/ 21 | 21.01.1972 - 01.09.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N110AA | 46510/ 22 | 28.02.1972 - 25.05.1979 | WRITTEN OFF | |
N111AA | 46511/ 23 | 15.03.1972 - 31.05.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N112AA | 46512/ 24 | 13.03.1972 - 01.08.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N113AA | 46513/ 30 | 20.04.1972 - 05.07.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N114AA | 46514/ 31 | 17.05.1972 - 08.08.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N115AA | 46515/ 37 | 26.05.1972 - 15.02.1994 | -stored- | |
N116AA | 46516/ 48 | 14.07.1972 - 06.01.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N117AA | 46517/ 49 | 21.07.1972 - 12.12.1993 | SCRAPPED | |
N118AA | 46518/ 51 | 19.07.1972 - 04.1994 and 1994 - 31.07.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N119AA | 46519/ 52 | 11.08.1972 - 16.01.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N120AA | 46520/ 54 | 24.08.1972 - 16.02.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N121AA | 46521/ 55 | 01.09.1972 - 04.04.1994 | FedEx | |
N122AA | 46522/ 56 | 18.09.1972 - 31.01.1994 | -stored- | |
N123AA | 46523/ 58 | 20.10.1972 - 03.01.1995 | -stored- | |
N124AA | 46524/ 65 | 17.11.1972 - 06.12.1995 | United States of America | |
N125AA | 46525/ 72 | 19.12.1972 - 07.1994 and 23.12.1996 - 23.06.1997 | FedEx | |
N126AA | 46947/ 247 | 10.02.1978 - 14.10.2000 | FedEx | |
N127AA | 46948/ 249 | 20.03.1978 - 31.01.1996, 16.06.1996 - 30.09.1996 and 24.02.1998 - 13.10.2000 | FedEx | |
N128AA | 46984/ 250 | 01.05.1978 - 15.02.1999 | FedEx | |
N129AA | 46996/ 270 | 27.02.1979 - 1999 and 13.09.1999 - 22.10.1999 | -stored- | |
N130AA | 46989/ 271 | 15.03.1979 - 03.1999 | FedEx | |
N131AA | 46994/ 273 | 03.04.1979 - 30.12.1999 | -stored- | |
N132AA | 47827/ 294 | 13.11.1979 - 12.05.1999 | FedEx | |
N133AA | 47828/ 319 | 15.05.1980 - 30.09.2000 | FedEx | |
N134AA | 47829/ 321 | 23.05.1980 - 29.03.1999 | FedEx | |
N135AA | 47830/ 323 | 09.06.1980 - 22.12.1999 | FedEx | |
N136AA | 47846/ 69 | 21.10.1981 - 21.07.1988 | WRITTEN OFF | |
N137AA | 47847/ 116 | 16.07.1982 - 2000 | SCRAPPED | |
N138AA | 46911/ 189 | 17.09.1982 - 02.10.1993 | -stored- | |
N80NA N139AA | 46711/ 105 | 24.02.1984 - 14.04.1993 | WRITTEN OFF | |
N81NA N140AA | 46712/ 106 | 15.03.1984 - 11.1993 and ????- 20.12.1998 | -stored- | |
N82NA N141AA | 46713/ 165 | 02.04.1984 - 12.1993 | -stored- | |
N84NA N142AA | 46714/ 167 | 19.04.1984 - 26.10.1993 and 27.10.1994 - 26.05.1995 | SCRAPPED | |
N143AA | 46555/ 91 | 22.06.1984 - 21.11.2000 | SCRAPPED | |
N821L N144AA | 47848/ 136 | 03.01.1985 - 13.11.2000 | SCRAPPED | |
N60NA N145AA | 46700/ 14 | 24.01.1984 - 16.03.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N61NA N146AA | 46701/ 16 | 15.06.1984 - 05.07.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N62NA N147AA | 46702/ 18 | 14.05.1984 - 20.01.1997 | SCRAPPED | |
N63NA N148AA | 46703/ 19 | 25.05.1984 - 10.06.1993 | -stored- | |
N64NA N151AA | 46706/ 38 | 06.02.1984 - 05.1994 | -stored- | |
N65NA N152AA | 46707/ 61 | 24.06.1984 - 02.08.1993 and 16.08.1993 - 01.09.1993 | FedEx | |
N66NA N153AA | 46708/ 62 | 22.07.1984 - 16.07.1993 | FedEx | |
N67NA N154AA | 46709/ 68 | 04.11.1983 - 10.1995 | -stored- | |
N68NA N160AA | 46710/ 70 | 04.11.1983 - 03.10.1996 | -stored- | |
N69NA N161AA | 46942/ 162 | 25.11.1983 - 04.1994 | 10 Tanker Air Carrier | |
N70NA N162AA | 46943/ 163 | 20.07.1984 - 07.11.1996 and 13.09.1999 - 10.1999 | SCRAPPED | |
N163AA | 46914/ 195 | 02.04.1985 - 01.11.2000 | SCRAPPED | |
N164AA | 46950/ 242 | 17.06.1986 - 02.01.1994, 06.06.1994 - 10.10.1994, 01.12.1994 - 11.01.1996 and 18.07.1996 - 20.11.2000 | -stored- | |
N901WA N166AA | 46908/ 95 | 08.04.1985 - 09.1996 and ???? - 03.05.1999 | SCRAPPED | |
N904WA N167AA | 46930/ 112 | 10.1986 - 1997 | -stored- | |
N905WA N168AA | 46938/ 153 | 10.1986 - 10.1999 | FedEx | |
N916CL N171AA | 46906/ 50 | 20.01.1987 - 27.05.1994 and 07.10.1994 - 09.03.1994 | SCRAPPED | |
N902JW | 46905/ 47 | 02.04.1987 - 21.10.1987 | SCRAPPED | |
N908WA | 46977/ 251 | 28.06.1988 - 12.01.1989 | -stored- | |
N909WA | 46983/ 252 | 14.06.1988 - 12.11.1988 | -stored- | |
N912WA | 46645/ 283 | 16.06.1988 - 19.03.1989 | SCRAPPED | |
N917JW | 46727/ 83 | 09.06.1986 - 08.07.1987 | -stored- |
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