[Don't forget the DC-10 which crashed at O'Hare in May of 1979. My aunt and uncle saw it as it burned from their lakefront condo. I feel uneasy about flying in DC-10s myself. United uses them on their Denver-to-Chicago flights; on Denver-to-LaGuardia flights, they
use 737s (imagine that!) and 757s, as well as Airbus aircraft. I flew in a DC-10 once, and as we were about to pull away from the gate, I saw smoke coming out of the engine beneath the right hand wing! It lasted for less than a minute, and the flight was uneventful.]
DC-10s might have their advantages. I'm just finishing up a book _Hijacked_, about the crazy Federal Express employee who attacked a flight crew with a hammer and then tried to crash the plane into FedEx's Memphis hub facility (gee, and to think that postal workers have a bad reputation!) At any rate, the plane went into some wild movements as the injured pilot struggled for control, severe enough that parts of the tail were torn off. It was noted that the toughness of the DC-10 may have been what saved the day for the crew.