Boeing 727-232 accident near Chicago, Illinois, November 28, 1992
On November 28, 1992 at about 2:39 am local time, a Boeing 727-232, registered N401DA, was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 118 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CAPTAIN'S INADEQUATE COORDINATION WITH THE GROUND AND FLIGHT CREW. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PASSENGER'S PERCEPTION THAT THE APU EXHAUST WAS A FIRE, WHICH RESULTED IN ACTION THAT INITIATED AN EVACUATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1992 · about 2:39 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 118 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-232 · all 727-232s on the register
- Registration
- N401DA · no longer on the register · serial 21145
- 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 FLIGHT HAD ARRIVED AT THE JETWAY AND THE PASSENGERS WERE BEGINNING TO DEPLANE. BEFORE EXTERNAL GROUND POWER WAS SUPPLIED TO THE AIRPLANE, THE CAPT PREMATURELY SHUT DOWN THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE WHICH WAS SUPPLYING ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE CABIN. WHEN THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN, THE MAIN CABIN LIGHTS WENT OUT, FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY THE ILLUMINATION OF THE BATTERY-POWERED EMERGENCY FLOOR LIGHTS. THE FLIGHT ENGINEER ANNOUNCED TO THE CAPT THAT HE WAS STARTING THE AUXILIARY POWER UNIT (APU). AS HE STARTED THE APU, AN EXHAUST FLAME MOMENTARILY CAME OUT FROM THE APU EXHAUST PIPE LOCATED NEAR THE TOP OF THE RIGHT WING ROOT. SOME PASSENGERS YELLED 'FIRE' AND BEGAN AN UNCOMMANDED EVACUATION THROUGH THE OVERWING EXITS. CREW MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO STOP THE EVAUCATION, BUT NOT BEFORE SEVERAL PASSENGERS HAD JUMPED OFF THE WINGS AND INCURRED INJURIES.
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
- Flight time: 19,998 hours in all; 8,860 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 184,200 lb
- Seats: 148
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 5 | 111 |
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.