Boeing 727-200 incident near Chicago, Illinois, September 7, 1983
On September 7, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N1984, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 116 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 116 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N1984 · no longer on the register · serial N1984
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A LEFT WALKING BEAM FAILURE WHEN THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED DURING APPROACH, THE ACFT LOG WAS NOTED 'DURING GEAR EXTENSION AT 230 KTS TREMENDOUS BANG OCCURRED WHICH DROPPED PANELS AT ROWS 15-7 02 MASKS AT ROW 18. THREE GREEN NORMAL GEAR INDICATION. ON TAXI IN---NO ABNORMALITIES NOTED.' THE FAILED WALKING BEAM WAS MADE OF ALUMINUM. THREE IS AN AD FOR THIS PART CALLING FOR ULTRASONIC INSPECTION EVERY 1500 HOURS. DURING AN INSPECTION A MECHANIC MISTOOKTHE BEAM FOR A STEEL ONE AND THE INSPECTION WAS NOT COMPLIED WITH AT THE PROPER TIME. AAL HAS TAKEN CORRECTIVE ACTION AND AT LAST COUNT ALL ALUMINUM BEAMS HAD BEEN REPLACED.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 50,205 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 2,000 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17A (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SMF Sacramento CA at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 109 |
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 N1984 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.