Accident · 1996-07-13

NTSB case NYC96LA148 · McDonnell Douglas MD-11 · Part 121

What the record says

Event date: 1996-07-13
Event type: Accident
Highest injury level: Serious injury
Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (N1768D)
Operating rule: Part 121
Operator: AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. Operator named in NTSB report
Operated by (per NTSB report): AMERICAN AIRLINES

Probable cause

insufficient information from the manufacturer in the airplane flight manual and flightcrew operating manual regarding the hazards of applying force to the control wheel or column while the autopilot is engaged and adjusting the pitch thumbwheel during a level off. Also causal was the flightcrew's lack of understanding of these items and the captain's improper decisions to overpower the engaged autopilot and then to disconnect the autopilot while holding back-pressure on the control yoke.

Source: NTSB case NYC96LA148

Flight crew

Flight-crew details for this event aren't in the NTSB database extract we hold (its coverage starts with 2008 events) — a gap in our data, not an absence of crew.

Facts as the NTSB records them — GroundCheck adds no judgement. Preliminary records may be revised as the investigation proceeds.

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