Following the crash of AA 191 on May 25, 1979. On June 6, 1979, after a series of post accident inspections disclosed damaged aft bulkheads in the wing to engine pylons, the Administrator of the FAA issued an Emergency Order of Suspension.
The Order suspended the DC-10 series aircraft type certificate "until such time as it can be ascertained that the DC-10 aircraft meets the certification criteria of Part 25 of the FAR and is eligible for a Type Certificate."
On June 26, 1979, the FAA issued Special Federal Aviation Regulation 40 which prohibited the "operation of any Model DC-10 aircraft within the airspace of the United States."
On July 13, 1979, after a series of formal investigations, the Administrator found that the DC-10 met the requirements for issuance of a type certificate. Accordingly, the Emergency Order of Suspension was terminated.
In November 1979 the FAA fined American Airlines $500,000 for using a faulty maintenance procedure on its DC-10 aircraft by using forklift trucks to mate the complete engine/pylon assembly with wing attachment points. Continental Airlines was fined $100,000 on a similar charge.
Gravity always wins!