Boeing 767-223 accident near Peotone, Illinois, July 22, 1998
On July 22, 1998 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Boeing 767-223, registered N335AA, was involved in an accident near Peotone, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 135 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
In-flight encounter with turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1998 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Peotone, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 135 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-223 · all 767-223s on the register
- Registration
- N335AA · registry record · serial 22333
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Moderate turbulence was encountered as the airplane climbed through FL180 while in the clouds. There were no weather returns indicating turbulence nor were there any reports of turbulence from Air Traffic Control or other airplanes. One flight attendant who was in the aft galley received minor injuries. One passenger received a broken rib when the male portion of her seat belt disconnected from its attach point. The attach point and the latching mechanism were both intact. This passenger was thrown from her seat into the aisle.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,707 hours in all; 557 in this make and model; 8,533 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 351,000 lb
- Seats: 305
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 6:19 pm
- Destination: RDU Raleigh-Durham NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MDW, 36 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 7 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 128 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N335AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.