Event FTW96IA240

Factual narrative

On June 8, 1996, at 1100 mountain daylight time a Lockheed 1011-385-1, N11004, operated by Trans World Airlines, Inc., as flight 840 from Los Angeles, California, to New York, New York, notified Denver ARTCC that the captain had apparently suffered a heart attack. The aircraft landed without incident at Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado. There was no damage to the aircraft and no injuries to the 12 crew members and 190 passengers. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 121 when the incident occurred and an IFR flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. According to information provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), approximately 30 minutes into the flight, the captain began experiencing chest pain. The flight diverted to Denver, Colorado, where the first officer made an uneventful landing and the captain taxied the aircraft to the gate (the L-1011 has no nose wheel steering on the first officer's side). The captain was transported by ambulance to Aurora Presbyterian Hospital, Aurora, Colorado, where he was seen by emergency physicians. According to emergency room records, he had no history of cardiovascular disease. He reported he had been experiencing intermittent retrosternal chest pain since the previous day which was becoming more continuous with radiation to his left jaw and left arm. The clinical impression was chest pain with possible unstable angina, Although his electrocardiogram (EKG) was normal, and was inconsistent with acute myocardial infarction. He was admitted to the critical care unit in stable condition and transferred to a medical floor. The 56 year old captain had his last physical on May 20, 1996, with no pathological codes present. He had no significant medical history and took no medications. He had approximately 18,000 hours total flight time, approximately 1,100 hours in this make and model aircraft, 57 hours in the last 90 day, 35 hours in the last 30 days, and 2 hours in the previous 24 hours. He has since been released to the care of his personal physician. While cruising during a scheduled domestic flight, the captain began experiencing chest pain. The flight diverted to Denver, where the first officer made an uneventful landing and the captain taxied the aircraft to the gate (the L-1011 was not equipped with nose wheel steering on the first officer's side). The captain was transported to a medical facility. According to emergency room records, the captain had no history of cardiovascular disease. He reported he had been experiencing intermittent retrosternal chest pain since the previous day which was becoming more continuous with radiation to his left jaw and left arm. The clinical impression of the attending physician was chest pain with possible unstable angina, although his electrocardiogram (EKG) was normal. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12