Fokker 100 incident near Chicago, Illinois, March 13, 1993
On March 13, 1993 at about 10:27 pm local time, a Fokker 100, registered N895US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 103 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE COMPANY STATION MANAGER TO FOLLOW PROPER DISPATCH PROCEDURES, AND ICE ACCUMULATION ON THE NOSE GEAR LOCKING MECHANISM. FACTORS RELATED TO THE INCIDENT WERE: WET SNOW (SLUSH) ON THE RUNWAY AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT, AND INADEQUATE DESIGN WHICH ALLOWED ICE TO RENDER THE NOSE GEAR DOWNLOCK SYSTEM INOPERATIVE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1993 · about 10:27 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 103 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker 100
- Registration
- N895US · no longer on the register · serial 11380
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DOWN & LOCKED INDICATION OF NOSE GEAR WAS NOT ACHIEVED FOR LANDING. CREW RECYCLED GEAR, USED ALTERNATE GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM & MADE A FLY-BY. AFTER BEING TOLD GEAR APPEARED TO BE EXTENDED, CREW LANDED, BUT NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AT END OF LANDING ROLL. RIGHT MAIN OUTBOARD TIRE ALSO BLEW-OUT DURING LANDING DUE TO FROZEN BRAKE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED NOSE- WHEEL WELL WAS SUSCEPTIBLE TO ICE CONTAMINATION. NOSE GEAR DOWN LOCK PLUNGER WAS FROZEN & WOULD NOT EXTEND TO DOWN & LOCKED POSITION. AT DEPARTURE AIRPORT, SLUSH HAD ACCUMULATED ON NOSE GEAR DOWN LOCK & FROZE. USE OF ALTERNATE EXTENSION SYSTEM WOULD HAVE DUMPED THE 500 PSI HYDRAULIC PRESSURE THAT NORMALLY ASSISTED IN HOLDING GEAR IN EXTENDED POSITION. USAIR PROCEDURES STATED THAT TAKEOFF SHOULD NOT BE MADE IF SLUSH OR WET SNOW IN EXCESS OF 1/2 INCH COVERED RUNWAY. AT LEAST 1 INCH OF WET SNOW & SLUSH WAS REPORTED ON DEPARTURE RUNWAY, 22 MINUTES BEFORE DEPARTURE; HOWEVER, ACTING STATION MANAGER DID NOT FOLLOW USAIR PROCEDURES THAT REQUIRED REPORTING THIS TO DISPATCHER & CAPTAIN OF FLIGHT.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,293 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 13, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 91,500 lb
- Seats: 111
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce TAY650-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 7:22 pm
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 8,071 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:32 pm from ORD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 98 |
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.