Boeing 727-223 incident near Chicago, Illinois, April 25, 1991
On April 25, 1991 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N6815, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 119 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE GROUND CREW TO PROPERLY ALIGN THE AIRPLANE IN THE GATE ALLEY DURING THE PUSH BACK FROM THE GATE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1991 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 119 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N6815 · no longer on the register · serial 19490
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N6815 WAS PUSHED BACK FROM GATE H-3 INTO THE GATE ALLEY. AS THE AIRPLANE WAS BEING TURNED OUT TO TAXI FOR TAKEOFF, THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER CONTACTED THE ELEVATOR OF ANOTHER BOEING 727 WHICH WAS PARKED AT GATE H-1. THE FLIGHT CREW OF N6815 HAD RECEIVED A RELEASE SALUTE FROM THE GROUND CREW PRIOR TO THE TAXI.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 pm from ORD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 112 |
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.