Boeing 727-227 accident near Chicago, Illinois, November 15, 1993
On November 15, 1993 at about 9:13 pm local time, a Boeing 727-227, registered N16762, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 86 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CAPTAIN'S FAILURE TO ASSURE THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED FOR LANDING. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: TRAFFIC ALERT DISTRACTIONS, THE FLIGHT CREW'S FAILURE TO USE THE CHECKLIST, AND INADEQUATE COMPANY SYSTEMS TRAINING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 1993 · about 9:13 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 86 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-227 · all 727-227s on the register
- Registration
- N16762 · no longer on the register · serial 21245
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT CREW REPORTED IT WAS A HEAVY TRAFFIC PERIOD, AND ATC WAS USING PARALLEL RUNWAYS. THEY REPORTED THEY WERE VECTORED ONTO A LONGER THAN NORMAL FINAL APPROACH, AND SLOWED DOWN EARLIER THAN USUAL. 25 DEG FLAPS WAS SELECTED TO MAINTAIN THE ASSIGNED AIRSPEED, BUT THEY DELAYED LANDING GEAR EXTENSION BECAUSE OF THEIR DISTANCE FROM THE RUNWAY. NUMEROUS GENUINE AND 'PHANTOM' TCAS TRAFFIC ALERTS WERE RECEIVED DURING THE APPROACH, WHICH DISTRACTED THEM FROM THE CHECKLIST. AT 500 FT AGL, THE GPWS SYSTEM BEGAN TO SOUND 'WHOOP WHOOP TERRAIN', AND THE CREW STATED THEY WERE DISTRACTED BY ALL THE NOISE IN THE COCKPIT, AND CONFUSED BY THE 'TERRAIN' MESSAGE FROM THE GPWS. WHEN THE GPWS WAS (AUTOMATICALLY) INHIBITED AT 50 FT AGL, THE CREW RECOGNIZED THE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED. THEY EXECUTED A GO-AROUND, AND THE AFT FUSELAGE STRUCK THE RUNWAY IN THE PROCESS.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 8,200 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 43,721 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 4, 1993; 512 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 190,500 lb
- Seats: 152
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX at 7:12 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L, 10,141 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft; not recorded at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 79 |
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.