Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-61 incident near Chicago, Illinois, December 14, 1983
On December 14, 1983 at about 8:06 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-61, registered N914CL, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare Iap airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 260 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- December 14, 1983 · about 8:06 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare Iap
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 260 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-61
- Registration
- N914CL · no longer on the register · serial 45912
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A DC-8-61 OPERATED BY CAPITOL AIR INC EXPERIENCED A PARTIAL FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAIN GEAR ON THE LANDING ROLL. THE REAR PORTION OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR BOGIE & BOTH REAR TIRES WERE SEPARATED. COMPONENTS OF THE LEFT LANDING GEAR WERE SUBMITTED TO MCDONNELL DOUGLAS FOR EXAMINATION.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 328,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9R, 10,141 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Observation at 7:50 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 10 | |||
| Passengers | 250 |
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.