Description

On 3 March 1974, a McDonnell-Douglas DC 10 operated by Turkish Airlines, after take-off from Paris Orly, experienced an explosive depressurisation. Approximately 10 minutes after take-off, the aircraft radar signature was seen to split into two, with one part remaining stationary before disappearing from the radar screen. The second part turned left to a heading of 280 degrees. This second radar return was caused by the separation of the cargo door, which occurred at a height of approximately 11,000 feet, at a point when the cabin pressure would have been roughly equal to that of sea level. The ejection of the aft cargo door on the left-hand side followed by a sudden depressurization led to the disruption of the floor structure. The collapse of the floor rendered the number 2 engine inoperative and impaired the flight controls (tail surfaces) which led to loss of control over the aircraft. Seventy-seven seconds later, the airplane impacted terrain 37 km northeast of Paris.

Synopsis

This is an extract form the official report on the accident issued the French Secretariat of State for Transport, Investigation Commission:

"Three or four seconds before 1140 hrs, the noise of decompression can be heard on the cockpit voice recording, the co-pilot said: “the fuselage had burst” and the pressurisation warning sound sounded.