In previous service , notably an incident that occurred on American Airlines Flight 96 in 1972 , it had been noticed that it was possible to close the handle on DC-10 cargo doors despite the latches being in the wrong position . This was because the linkage between the handle and the pins was too weak and allowed the handle to be forced into the closed position . A minor change had been ordered to install a support plate for the handle linkage to make it stronger ; manufacturer documents showed this work as completed on the aircraft involved in Flight 981 , but the plate had not in fact been installed . It was also noted that the handle on the crash aircraft had been filed down at an earlier date to make it easier to close the door . Finally , the latching had been performed by a baggage handler who did not speak Turkish or English , the only languages provided on a warning notice about the cargo door 's design flaws and the methods of compensating for them . After the disaster , the latches were redesigned and the locking system significantly upgraded
American Airlines Flight 96
American Airlines Flight 96
Turkish Airlines Flight 981