Development of the DC-1 can be traced back to the 1931 crash of a TWA airliner , a Fokker F. 10 Trimotor in which a wing failed , probably because water had seeped between the layers of the wood laminate and dissolved the glue holding the layers together . Following the accident , the Aeronautics Branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce placed stringent restrictions on the use of wooden wings on passenger airliners . Boeing developed an answer , the 247 , a twin-engined all-metal monoplane with a retractable undercarriage , but their production capacity was reserved to meet the needs of United Airlines , part of United Aircraft and Transport Corporation which also owned Boeing . TWA needed a similar aircraft to respond to competition from the Boeing 247 and they asked five manufacturers to bid for construction of a three-engined , 12-seat aircraft of all-metal construction , capable of flying 1,080 mi ( 1,740 km ) at 150 mph ( 242 km/h ) . The most demanding part of the specification was that the airliner would have to be capable of safely taking off from any airport on TWA 's main routes ( and in particular Albuquerque , at high altitude and with severe summer temperatures ) with one engine non-functioning
1931 crash
1931 Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F-10 crash
Douglas DC-1