Fokker F-27 MK500 incident near Moline, Illinois, May 4, 1989
On May 4, 1989 at about 1:07 am local time, a Fokker F-27 MK500, registered N511AW, suffered minor damage in an incident near Moline, Illinois (Quad Cities airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
MATERIAL FAILURE OF THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTION AND EXTENSION ASSEMBLY. INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURES IN COMPANY DIRECTIVES WERE FACTORS IN THIS INCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 1989 · about 1:07 am local time
- Place
- Moline, Illinois · Quad Cities · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F-27 MK500
- Registration
- N511AW · no longer on the register · serial E 10690
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE LANDED WITH THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR NOT FULLY DOWN AND LOCKED. WHEN THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN, THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE AND IT COLLAPSED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND NEITHER OF THE TWO CREWMEMBERS ABOARD THE AIRPLANE WERE INJURED. THE LANDING GEAR MALFUNCTION HAD BEEN DISCOVERED WHEN THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT CYCLE PROPERLY DURING A MAINTENANCE CHECK FLIGHT. WHEN THE FLIGHT CREW ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR AFTER RETRACTION, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT FULLY EXTEND. ATTEMPTS TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR USING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,121 hours in all; 2,262 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days; 14,988 as pilot in command; 898 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,005 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 21, 1989; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 45,900 lb
- Seats: 53
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce DART 552-7R (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Wisconsin
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 11:05 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 8,507 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:20 pm from MLI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N511AW 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.