Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 incident near Chicago, Illinois, July 19, 1989
On July 19, 1989, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N1846U, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 250 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
HYDROPLANING ATTRIBUTED TO THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF THE RUNWAY, AND THE AIRPORT PERSONNEL'S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY MAINTAIN THE RUNWAY. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: THE RAIN AND THE WET RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1989
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 250 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N1846U · no longer on the register · serial 48262
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HYDROPLANED AFTER LANDING AND RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. RUNWAY INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE RUNWAY GROOVING ALONG THE AIRPLANE'S LANDING ROLL TRACK WAS WORN TO THE POINT TO WHICH IT WAS NONEXISTENT, AND THERE WERE LARGE AREAS OF STANDING WATER ON THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPORT HAD RECORDED 1.28 INCHES OF RAINFALL DURING THE FOUR HOUR PERIOD IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE INCIDENT.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 2,450 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 28,724 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 10, 1989; 121 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 430,000 lb
- Seats: 302
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: CLE Cleveland OH at 10:52 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22R, 7,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from ORD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 239 |
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.