Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 and Boeing 727-200 incident near Chicago, Illinois, August 3, 1987
On August 3, 1987, 2 aircraft, Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 (N113AA) and Boeing 727-200 (N566PE), were involved in the same incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). No one was hurt; 408 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
- August 3, 1987
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 408 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N113AA · no longer on the register · serial 46513
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N566PE · no longer on the register · serial 21242
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative for the Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LDG THE CO B727 WAS DIRECTED TO MAKE TWO RIGHT TURNS AND FOLLOW AN ACFT THAT HAD LANDED IN FRONT OF HIM. THE PILOT MADE ONE RIGHT TURN AND TAXIED DOWN AN EMPTY RUNWAY. THIS TAXI ROUTE CROSSED AN ACTIVE RUNWAY. AN AA#DC-10 ON TAKEOFF ROLL, AT 110 KNOTS, WAS FORCED TO ABORT HIS TAKEOFF BECAUSE OF THE B727.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-200 final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LDG THE CO B727 WAS DIRECTED TO MAKE TWO RIGHT TURNS AND FOLLOW AN ACFT THAT HAD LANDED IN FRONT OF HIM. THE PILOT MADE ONE RIGHT TURN AND TAXIED DOWN AN EMPTY RUNWAY. THIS TAXI ROUTE CROSSED AN ACTIVE RUNWAY. AN AA#DC-10 ON TAKEOFF ROLL, AT 110 KNOTS, WAS FORCED TO ABORT HIS TAKEOFF BECAUSE OF THE B727.
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 for the Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 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
- Flight time: 18,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 615,000 lb
- Seats: 295
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL
- Destination: DFW Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9L, 7,416 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 244 |
The factual record for the Boeing 727-200 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
- Flight time: 9,950 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 172,350 lb
- Seats: 195
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TEB Newark NJ
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14L, 10,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 144 |
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 N113AA 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.