Boeing 767-200 accident near Chicago, Illinois, January 20, 1988
On January 20, 1988, a Boeing 767-200, registered N306AA, was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 145 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- January 20, 1988
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 145 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-200 · all 767-200s on the register
- Registration
- N306AA · no longer on the register · serial 22312
- 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 FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND A PASSENGER RECEIVED SERIOUS AND MINOR INJURIES RESPECTIVELY DURING AN INFLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH SEVERE TURBULENCE DURING AN ENROUTE DESCENT. GREATER THAN MODERATE TURBULENCE WAS FORECAST TO BE IN THE AREA AND SEVERE TURBULENCE HAD BEEN REPORTED BY A TRANSPORT (HEAVY) CATEGORY AIRCRAFT. THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON AND PASSENGERS WERE SEATED & BELTED. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE STANDING AND MOVING ABOUT. THE INJURED ATTENDANT HAD A BROKEN LEG. THE PASS'G COMPLAINED OF A SORE NECK.
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: 13,000 hours in all; 326 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 300,000 lb
- Seats: 195
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Fort Worth TX at 9:55 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 7 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 138 |
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.