Airbus Industrie A319-131 incident near Chicago, Illinois, November 21, 2002
On November 21, 2002 at about 4:06 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A319-131, registered N804UA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 82 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The maintenance facililty improperly assembled and installed the nose landing gear shock absorber assembly. Factors were the improper assembly which allowed the nose gear to turn 90 degrees to the direction of travel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2002 · about 4:06 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 82 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A319-131 · all A319-131s on the register
- Registration
- N804UA · registry record · serial 759
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed with the nose wheels turned 90 degrees to the direction of travel. The flight crew was unable to retract the landing gear after takeoff. They received the L/G SHOCK ABSORBER FAULT and AUTO FLT A/THR OFF messages on the electronic centralized aircraft monitoring (ECAM) system. In addition, they had a Nose Wheel Steering message on the landing gear ECAM page. Unable to rectify the problem, the captain elected to return to land at ORD. The captain reported that he did not have any problem controlling the airplane during the landing. During the landing roll, he was informed by the control tower that there were sparks coming from the nose gear. The airplane stopped on the runway and the passengers were deplaned. Post-incident inspection revealed the nose landing gear (NLG) wheels were turned 90 degrees to the left, both of the tires were blown, and the left side tire rim was ground down to the axle. The right side tire rim was nearly ground down to the axle. The incident occurred on the fourth flight following a maintenance "C" check where the dynamic seals inside the nose landing gear (NLG) shock absorber had been replaced. The maintenance was performed by a contract facility. Inspection and teardown of the nose gear revealed the shock absorber had been assembled and installed in the airplane incorrectly during the C-check. This resulted in the anti-rotation lugs on the shock absorber, not being properly seated in the back plate slots. Following this incident, the back plate manufacturer has redesigned the back plate (waiting manufacturer and DGAC approval), the operator has revised their job instruction cards for disassembly and assembly of the NLG shock absorber, and the aircraft manufacturer has revised the Aircraft Maintenance Manual.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,359 hours in all; 1,612 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 1, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,635 hours in all; 126 in this make and model; 153 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,152 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 20, 2002; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 154,300 lb
- Seats: 124
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: International Aero Engines V2522-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 3:18 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 8,071 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
- Observation at 4:13 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 77 |
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.
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.