Boeing 737-201 accident near Chicago, Illinois, January 20, 1989
On January 20, 1989 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Boeing 737-201, registered N242US, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 33 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PREVIOUS DAMAGE TO THE AFT CONE (ENGINE MOUNTING) BOLT, WHICH RESULTED IN MISMATCHED SURFACES BETWEEN THE BOLT AND ISOLATION MOUNT, LOSS OF TORQUE DURING CYCLIC LOADING OF THE MOUNTING BOLT, AND SUBSEQUENT FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE BOLT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 1989 · about 1:45 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 33 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-201 · all 737-201s on the register
- Registration
- N242US · no longer on the register · serial 22444
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,105 hours in all; 3,430 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,420 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 1, 1989; 569 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 100,800 lb
- Seats: 114
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: CLT Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L, 10,141 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 19 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 27 |
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.