Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F accident near Chicago, Illinois, August 19, 1994
On August 19, 1994 at about 6:08 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, registered IDUPO, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 267 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FIRST OFFICER'S IMPROPER FLARE AND IMPROPER USE OF FLIGHT CONTROLS DURING THE LANDING FLARE/TOUCHDOWN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1994 · about 6:08 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 267 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F · all MD-11Fs on the register
- Registration
- IDUPO · no longer on the register · serial 48429
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING ON INITIAL TOUCHDOWN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE NOSE TIRES FAILED, DAMAGE OCCURRED TO THE GENERAL AREA OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR SUPPORT STRUCTURE, AND THERE WAS FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE TO THE #1 AND #3 ENGINES. THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER (FDR) DATA INDICATED THAT THE INITIAL TOUCHDOWN ACCELERATION HAD A VALUE OF 1.9488 G'S. AT THAT TIME, THE THROTTLE RESOLVER ANGLES INDICATED 52.03, 51.33 AND 49.22 DEGREES FOR THE NUMBER ONE, TWO AND THREE ENGINES, RESPECTIVELY. ALSO, THE FDR REVEALED THAT AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED FOUR OSCILLATIONS IN THE PITCH AXIS. THE MAXIMUM PITCH ANGLE DURING THIS TIME WAS +5.98 DEGREES NOSE UP, AND THE MINIMUM VALUE WAS -2.46 DEGREES NOSE DOWN. DURING THIS TIME FRAME, SPOILER POSITIONS NEVER EXCEEDED 8.0 DEGREES OF DEFLECTION AND THE NOSE WEIGHT ON WHEELS PARAMETER CHANGED FOUR TIMES.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,400 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 156 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 6,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,390 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 12, 1994; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 620,900 lb
- Seats: 277
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2-D1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FCO Rome, Italy OF
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22R, 7,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 14 | |||
| Passengers | 253 |
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.