Boeing 727-223 accident near Chicago, Illinois, February 9, 1998
On February 9, 1998 at about 3:54 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N845AA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare Internatio airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 23 people had minor injuries; 99 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the flight crew to maintain a proper pitch attitude for a successful landing or go-around. Contributing to the accident were the divergent pitch oscillations of the airplane, which occurred during the final approach and were the result of an improper autopilot desensitization rate.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 1998 · about 3:54 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare Internatio
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 23 people had minor injuries; 99 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N845AA · registry record · serial 20986
- 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 full report for NTSB Report Number AAB-01-01 is available at www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. On February 9, 1998, about 0954 central standard time (CST), a Boeing 727-223 (727), N845AA, operated by American Airlines as flight 1340, impacted the ground short of the runway 14R threshold at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) while conducting a Category II (CAT II) instrument landing system (ILS) coupled approach. Twenty-two passengers and one flight attendant received minor injuries, and the airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane, being operated by American Airlines as a scheduled domestic passenger flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121, with 116 passengers, 3 flight crewmembers, and 3 flight attendants on board, was destined for Chicago, Illinois, from Kansas City International Airport (MCI), Kansas City, Missouri. Daylight instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 1,319 in this make and model; 104 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 100 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 25, 1997
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59,069 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 6, 1998; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 178,500 lb
- Seats: 150
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCI Kansas City KS at 2:43 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14R, 13,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 22 | 94 |
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 N845AA 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.