Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-54 incident near Chicago, Illinois, June 26, 1984
On June 26, 1984 at about 7:35 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-54, registered N8048U, 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; 3 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
- June 26, 1984 · about 7:35 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-54
- Registration
- N8048U · no longer on the register · serial 45-881
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR SWIVEL LINK PIN FAILED ALLOWING THE REAR SET OF TIRES TO BECOME DETACHED FROM THE MAIN STRUT AND DRAG ALONG THE RWY. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR BOGIE WAS LAST OVERHAULED IN 1981. AT THE TIME OF FAILURE, IT HAD 4459 HOURS SINCE OVERHAUL. METALLURGICAL STUDY OF THE SWIVEL PIN REVEALED, 1) INTERGRANULAR CRACKING THRU 40% OF PIN CROSS-SECTION, 2) EVIDENCE OF STRESS CORROSION FROM OVERTORQUING THE NUT ON THREADED END OF PIN, 3) TRACES OF COPPER, SOMETIMES USED BEFORE CHROMIUM PLATING DURING OVERHAUL, FOUND IN CRACK, 4) NO OVERLOAD EVIDENCE IN PREEXISTANT CRACK, AND 5) INDICATIONS THAT FINAL FRACTURE WAS DUE TO OVERLOAD.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 315,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 5:20 am
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14R, 11,600 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:04 am from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.