Boeing 747-136 accident near Chicago, Illinois, May 9, 1988
On May 9, 1988 at about 9:35 pm local time, a Boeing 747-136, registered GAWND, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 304 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE NUMBER THREE FLAP TRACK DUE TO STRESS CORROSION CRACKING. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS FAILURE ARE INSUFFICIENT DESIGN OF THE MEMBER AND INADEQUATE INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES TO DETECT CRACKS BEFORE THEY PROPAGATE TO A CRITICAL LENGTH.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 1988 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 304 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-136 · all 747-136s on the register
- Registration
- GAWND · no longer on the register · serial 19764
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON FINAL APPROACH TO CHICAGO O'HARE INTER'L AIRPORT WHEN A STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF THE NUMBER THREE FLAP TRACK OCCURRED. THE ACFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING, LEFT INBOARD FLAP ASSEMBLY, LEFT INBOARD SPOILERS AND SPOILER SUPPORT BEAM. THE PILOT EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT UNCOMMANDED ROLL AND YAW, BUT REGAINED CONTROL OF THE ACFT AND EXECUTED AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING. THE INVESTIGATION HAS REVEALED A HISTORY OF FLAP TRACK CRACKING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH STRESS CORROSION AND DESIGN INADEQUACY. A DESIGN CHANGE OF THE MEMBER WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN 1971 BY THE MANUFACTURER, BUT FLAP TRACKS OF THE EARLIER DESIGN WERE ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN SERVICE ON 239 AIRCRAFT. THE AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES AND SERVICE BULLETINS APPLICABLE TO THIS PARTICULAR STRUCTURAL MEMBER ARE NOT ADEQUATE IN METHODOLOGY AND PERIODICITY TO ENSURE CRACK DETECTION, AND DO NOT REQUIRE INSPECTION FOR THE CAUSE OF THE CRACK-CORROSION PITS.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,978 hours in all; 1,815 in this make and model; 196 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 2,584 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,868 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 9, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 733,880 lb
- Seats: 395
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EGLL London OF
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L, 10,140 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 16 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from ORD, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 18 | |||
| Passengers | 286 |
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.