Boeing B-727-61 incident near Wood Dale, Illinois, October 17, 2000
On October 17, 2000 at about 6:20 pm local time, a Boeing B-727-61, registered N530KF, suffered minor damage in an incident near Wood Dale, Illinois (O'Hare International Airport). It was a public-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 108 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate overhaul of the flap segment that allowed for corrosion and debonding that resulted in the flap segment departing the airplane during the approach. Factors relating to this incident were insufficient information provided to the overhaul facility by the airplane manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2000 · about 6:20 pm local time
- Place
- Wood Dale, Illinois · O'Hare International Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 108 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-727-61
- Registration
- N530KF · no longer on the register · serial 19176
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A U. S. Marshals Service employee, who was seated on the left side, middle section of the airplane's passenger cabin, said, "I was observing the ground area looking down and aft across the wing. The wing flaps were partially deployed when I observed a large piece of the flap area to rise and leave the a/c and disappear. The flaps continued down and I could not see the particular area the piece left from, from my position any longer." On landing, it was discovered that a 6-foot long, 16-inch wide outboard section of the aft segment of the left inboard, segmented fowler flap was missing. The segment was located at a residence 2 miles west of the airport. An examination of the flap segment revealed that the anodized layer was incomplete on the segment spar and a required oxide layer was not present. The area showed corrosion and the degrading of the bond resulting in separation between the honeycomb and the aft side of the segment spar. The flap segment had been in service since its overhaul in October 1993 and had approximately 5,000 hours. Overhaul facility instructions did not specify a maximum area of the flap segment's honeycomb core that could be debonded during the overhaul. Manufacturer's repair manuals did specify a maximum size for repair of the honeycomb core in the inboard and outboard trailing edge fore flap, but none of the figures in the manual that was in effect at the time of the overhaul covered repair to the honeycomb core for the aft flap segment. A current version of the manufacturer's repair manuals specifies the maximum size for the repair of the trailing edge aft flap segment that includes the honeycomb core.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,226 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 23, 2000; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 160,500 lb
- Seats: 125
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI at 4:45 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 09R, 10,141 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from ORD, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 22 | |||
| Passengers | 86 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N530KF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.