In the sky over Windsor Ontario in 1972 and in the woods outside Paris in 1974, two similar incidents showed how a simple cargo door design can lead to tragedy.
The DC-10 after these incidents became one of the safest planes in the world, however, the reputation of the aeroplane from these two incidents led to a reduction in the growth of the sales and a deficiency of confidence with passengers on the airlines who flew them. Additionally, further accidents in Chicago in 1979 with American Airlines flight 191 and United Flight 232 in 1989 in Sioux City, Iowa, the DC-10's reputation never fully recovered. In addition to this, twin-engined jets, including the European Airbus A300 and Boeing 767, led to Trijets losing their appeal in a market where fuel efficiency and lower maintenance costs are everything. Despite this, the airliner was still a popular choice for the airlines and the DC-10 and it's updated sister aircraft the MD-11 which was introduced in 1990 and is still flying for a number of airlines today, mainly cargo airlines who adore the reliability of the jumbo jets. The military and even an eye hospital still use the DC-10 in a number of different uses, including a fuel tanker and an operating theatre for operations in developing countries. There is little to no passenger airliners still flying DC-10's with the last primary carrier being Biman Bangladesh Airlines who retired their last DC-10 in 2014.
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