Boeing 727-31 accident near Chicago, Illinois, August 27, 1988
On August 27, 1988 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Boeing 727-31, registered N852TW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 7 people had minor injuries; 61 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PROCEDURAL CHECKLIST IN WHICH A CRITICAL STEP WAS NOT LISTED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 1988 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 7 people had minor injuries; 61 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-31 · all 727-31s on the register
- Registration
- N852TW · registry record · serial 18571
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SCHEDULED DOMESTIC PART 121 FLIGHT COULD NOT GET LANDING GEAR TO EXTEND ON APPROACH TO CHICAGO MIDWAY AIRPORT. AFTER MISSED APPROACH, CREW TRIED UNSUCCESSFULLY TO EXTEND GEAR MANUALLY USING PROCEDURES IN COCKPIT CHECKLIST AND FLIGHT OPERATIONS MANUAL. EMERGENCY GEAR-UP LANDING WAS MADE AT CHICAGO O'HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED A DISCONNECTED GEAR SELECTOR ACTUATING ROD FROM THE NORMAL LANDING GEAR RETRACT/EXTENSION ACTUATING ASSEMBLY. CREW DAMAGED MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION MECHANISM IN MANUAL EXTENSION ATTEMPTS. FAA APPROVED PROCEDURAL CHECKLIST HAD OMITTED CRITICAL STEP IN MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,899 hours in all; 6,411 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days; 76 in the last 30 days; 5,266 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 56,099 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 29, 1988; 720 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 152,000 lb
- Seats: 124
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trans World Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: STL St. Louis MO at 7:57 pm
- Destination: MDW Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14L, 10,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:42 pm from ORD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 7 | 55 |
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.