Boeing 727-22 incident near Chicago, Illinois, February 6, 1986
On February 6, 1986 at about 11:12 pm local time, a Boeing 727-22, registered N7059U, 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). 1 person had minor injuries; 51 others were unhurt. 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
- February 6, 1986 · about 11:12 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 51 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-22 · all 727-22s on the register
- Registration
- N7059U · registry record · serial 18866
- 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 FLIGHT CREW WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE NOSE WHEEL LANDING GEAR THROUGH EITHER THE NORMAL OR BACKUP SYSTEMS. THE AIRPLANE SUBSQUENTLY MADE A NOSE GEAR UP LANDING RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE NOSE GEAR DRAG BRACE ASSEMBLY REVEALED A BROKEN DRAG BRACE PAWL BLOCK LINK WHICH LEFT THE NOSE GEAR IN AN UP AND LOCKED POSITION AND PRECLUDED IT FROM BEING LOWERED IN FLIGHT.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 49,405 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 9, 1985; 1,462 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-D-7 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OKC Oklahoma City OK at 8:37 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 8,071 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 040° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:34 pm from ORD, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 46 |
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 N7059U 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.