Douglas DC-8-71F accident near Chicago, Illinois, November 30, 1994
On November 30, 1994 at about 11:35 am local time, a Douglas DC-8-71F, registered N826BX, suffered minor damage in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the ground crew to maintain an appropriate center of gravity while downloading cargo from the airplane. A factor was the ground crew's failure to follow established downloading procedures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 1994 · about 11:35 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-71F · all DC-8-71Fs on the register
- Registration
- N826BX · no longer on the register · serial 45998
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, A REPRESENTATIVE OF BURLINGTON EXPRESS REPORTED THAT AFTER THE AIRPLANE LANDED, FOUR CARGO TECHNICIANS BOARDED THE PLANE AND BEGAN DOWNLOADING PROCEDURES. THE CARGO LOCKS IN THE FRONT BELLY WERE REMOVED AND APPROXIMATELY 2,000 POUNDS OF CARGO WERE DOWNLOADED. THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNLOCKING CARGO IN THE TAIL WHEN THE AIRPLANE TAIL SETTLED. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE CARGO DOOR AND AN ANTENNA. THE UNLOCKED PALLET FROM THE FRONT BELLY ROLLED AFT AND ONE OF THE TECHNICIANS WAS TRAPPED BY THE PALLET AND SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURY TO HIS FOOT. THE REPORT STATED THAT STANDARD PROCEDURES FOR DOWNLOADING THE AIRPLANE WERE 'POSSIBLY GLAZED OVER.' A FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTOR WHO RESPONDED TO THE ACCIDENT REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS UNLOADED IMPROPERLY. THE BURLINGTON TRAINING MANUAL SPECIFIES THAT THE AIRPLANE SHOULD BE UNLOADED FROM THE REAR OF THE AIRPLANE FIRST.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,600 hours in all; 5,600 in this make and model; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,586 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 30, 1994; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 328,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56-2C-1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Transport International
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 240° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 am from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 6 |
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.