Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82(MD-82) accident near Chicago, Illinois, April 17, 2010
On April 17, 2010 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82(MD-82), registered N461AA, was involved in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Chicago, Illinois. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 83 others were unhurt.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight attendant's loss of balance resulting in a fall and a broken wrist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2010 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 83 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82(MD-82) · all DC-9-82(MD-82)s on the register
- Registration
- N461AA · registry record · serial 49566
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight attendant, as she turned to walk to the galley, she tripped and fell, landing on her left hand. It was later found that she had fractured her wrist. There was no damage to the airplane and no injuries to the other crew or passengers on the flight.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Cabin safety event during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › (general) › (general) › Cabin crew
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P & W JT8D SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P & W JT8D SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: AUS Austin TX at 1:20 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 2 | ||
| Flight crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 78 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN10LA220.