After an uneventful hour of flight a loud thump was heard, followed by a shaking of the aircraft. The flight crew observed the tail-mounted engine had failed. (SEE FIGURE 3) While performing an engine shutdown procedure, the crew noticed that they didn’t have any hydraulic pressure. They also noticed that the fluid level was at zero. The co-pilot tried to maneuver the airplane with no success. The crew then radioed to the air traffic controller that they needed emergency assistance to the nearest airport. Sioux City, Iowa was found to be the almost straight-ahead. The captain then briefed the passengers of the up-coming trials. It just so happen that there was a United Airlines DC-10 pilot instructor sitting in first class. He asked if he could be of any assistance and the captain asked him to see if there was any damage that the could see. The instructor found that the flight controls on the wings weren’t moving and that the horizontal stabilizer had damage to the left and right side. The horizontal stabilizer is the part of the aircraft that controls elevation and what is known as yaw. (Right and left turning) Now that they definitely knew they didn’t have any flight controls the crew began to discuss what ways the aircraft could be maneuvered. PAGE 2The instructor pilot recommended the use of engine power to maneuver the airplane. The idea seemed to work and being that all other options were few, the crew adopted this plan of action. When flight 232 was about eight miles from the airport they lowered the landing gear. To their dismay they learned from the air traffic controller that they were lined up on a runway that was closed for repairs. The captain elected to stay on course because of the difficulty to turn the airplane. The air traffic controller said that the runway was 3000 feet shorter but they shouldn’t have any trouble landing due to the repairs. During the final ap...
