Douglas DC-8-71 incident near Chicago, Illinois, July 21, 1983
On July 21, 1983, a Douglas DC-8-71, registered N8090U, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (Ohare International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 102 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1983
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Ohare International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 102 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-71 · all DC-8-71s on the register
- Registration
- N8090U · registry record · serial 45994
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON LANDING ROLL THE ACFT ROLLED FORWARD OFF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE LANDING RUNWAY. THE CREW STATED THAT MAXIMUM BRAKING, REVERS, & SPOILERS WERE UTILIZED. THE RUNWAY WAS COVERED WTH STANDING WATER.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42,888 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 199,500 lb
- Seats: 190
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W CFM-56 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 7:15 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 7,416 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 012° at 12 knots
- Sky: broken clouds; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 94 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CHI83IA327.