Boeing 727-227 accident near Chicago, Illinois, April 20, 1998
On April 20, 1998 at about 2:30 am local time, a Boeing 727-227, registered N722AA, 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 and 2 people had minor injuries; 153 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the passenger initiated evacuation of the airplane. A factor was the auxiliary power unit fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1998 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 153 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-227 · all 727-227s on the register
- Registration
- N722AA · registry record · serial 20730
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The cockpit crew was in the process of starting the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) when passengers saw flames coming from the right engine. A passenger was heard to scream 'Fire' at which time the uncommanded evacuation was initiated by the passengers. The captain attempted to calm the passengers with a PA announcement. Passengers exited the airplane via the over wing exit, the rear airstair door, and the main entry door onto the jet bridge. A ten year old boy received a broken arm and two other passengers received minor leg and ankle injuries as they jumped off the wing.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,326 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 18, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 160
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ORD
- Destination: MKC Kansas City KS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 146 |
Other NTSB records under N722AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI98LA127.