THY 981 β Ermenonville Cargo Door Disaster
Date of Incident: March 3, 1974
Location: Ermenonville Forest, near Paris, France
π§ What Happened
Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed minutes after departing Paris Orly en route to London. A faulty rear cargo door blew off at 11,000 ft, causing explosive decompression and severing control cables. The aircraft entered a steep dive and disintegrated on impact, killing all 346 onboard. It was the deadliest single-aircraft accident at the time.
βοΈ Aircraft Details
Flight Number: TK981 / THY981
Aircraft Type: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
Registration: TC-JAV
Departure: Istanbul YeΕilkΓΆy Airport (IST) β Paris Orly (ORY)
Destination: London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Fatalities: All 346 onboard
Survivors: 0
π Key Factors
The cargo doorβs outward-opening design relied on locking pins and a handle linkage. The door appeared latched but was not fully secured. The handle could be forced shut even if pins were misaligned. A baggage handler unfamiliar with the warning label (written only in Turkish and English) closed the door improperly. The same flaw had caused American Airlines Flight 96βs decompression in 1972, but corrective action was incomplete.
π Timeline of Events
- 07:57 UTC β Departure from Istanbul
- 11:02 UTC β Arrival at Paris Orly; 216 new passengers board
- 12:32 UTC β Takeoff from Orly
- 12:40 UTC β Cargo door blows off near Meaux
- 12:41 UTC β Aircraft enters steep dive
- 12:41:17 UTC β Impact in Ermenonville Forest
ποΈ Cockpit Voice & Flight Data
βThe fuselage has burst!β β First Officer Ulusman
βSpeed!β β Captain BerkΓΆz
The CVR captured decompression noise, pressurization and overspeed warnings, and crew attempts to regain control. The FDR showed loss of elevator, rudder, and engine 2 control. Both recorders were recovered and analyzed by BEA France and NTSB USA.
βοΈ Aircraft Systems & Failures
- Outward-opening cargo door design vulnerable to pressure
- Handle linkage allowed forced closure despite misalignment
- Locking pins filed down; support plate never installed
- Control cables routed beneath cabin floor severed by decompression
π‘οΈ Aftermath and Reforms
- FAA issued airworthiness directives for DC-10 cargo door redesign
- McDonnell Douglas paid over $18 million in settlements
- Convair memo from 1970 had predicted this failure mode
- Industry-wide review of cargo door safety and pressure relief systems
- Memorials erected in Ermenonville and London