Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-71 incident near Chicago, Illinois, November 13, 1992
On November 13, 1992 at about 12:50 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-71, registered N870SJ, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN IMPROPER REPAIR OF THE RETRACT PIN BOSS AREA BY THE OVERHAUL FACILITY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1992 · about 12:50 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-71
- Registration
- N870SJ · no longer on the register · serial 46039
- 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 CREW OF THE MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS DC-8 CARGO AIRPLANE RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR DURING ITS CLIMB TO CRUISE ALTITUDE. THE CREW ADVISED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT THE LANDING GEAR HAD NOT RETRACTED PROPERLY. DURING AN ATTEMPT TO ENSURE THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION THE CREW HEARD A LOUD BANG. COINCIDENTAL WITH THE AIRCREW'S ACTIONS, A PERSON RESIDING IN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME REPORTED THAT A METAL OBJECT HAD PENETRATED HER HOME'S ROOF AND IMBEDDED ITSELF IN THE FLOOR. THE AIRPLANE RETURNED TO LAND WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR RETRACT PIN HAD SEPARATED FROM THE LANDING GEAR LEG. PORTIONS OF THE GEAR LEG RETRACT PIN BOSS AREA HAD SEPARATED AND WERE FOUND WEDGED ALONG SIDE THE GEAR ASSEMBLY. SUBSEQUENT METALLURGICAL INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PIN BOSS AREA HAD METAL FRACTURE FEATURES CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD, ONE OF WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH A PREEXISTING FRACTURE AREA. THE PIN BOSS AREA HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN OVER-BORED AND CHROME PLATED PRIOR TO A RETURN TO SERVICE. THE AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER STATED THE PIN BOSS BORE SHOULD NOT BE CHROME PLATED.
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: 7,850 hours in all; 338 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 21, 1992; 1,554 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 328,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56-2C1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southern Air Transport
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; not recorded at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:00 pm from ORD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.