Boeing 727-222 incident near Chicago, Illinois, April 7, 1987
On April 7, 1987 at about 5:08 pm local time, a Boeing 727-222, registered N7258U, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (Chigago O'Hare Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 109 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
- April 7, 1987 · about 5:08 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chigago O'Hare Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 109 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-222 · all 727-222s on the register
- Registration
- N7258U · no longer on the register · serial 21405
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 727 DOMESTIC PASSENGER FLIGHT WAS HOLDING SHORT OF RUNWAY 32L AT THE CHICAGO-O'HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AWAITING CLEARANCE FOR AN INTERSECTION TAKEOFF. A NORTHWEST AIRLINES BOEING 747 INTERNATIONAL PASSENGER FLIGHT WAS HOLDING IN POSITION AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY AWAITING TAKEOFF CLEARANCE. THE CONTROL TOWER CLEARED THE NORTHWEST FLIGHT FOR TAKEOFF AND THE CREW COMMENCED THE TAKEOFF ROLL. THE UNITED FLIGHT THOUGHT THEY HAD BEEN CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF AND TAXIED ONTO THE RUNWAY AND COMMENCE THEIR GROUND ROLL. THE TOWER CONTROLLER NOTED THE INCURSION AND INSTRUCTED THE NORTHWEST FLIGHT TO ABORT THE TAKEOFF. THE UNITED FLIGHT ALSO ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND BOTH AIRCRAFT TAXIED OFF THE RUNWAY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 5,347 in this make and model; 152 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 185,500 lb
- Seats: 180
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32L, 13,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 102 |
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.