- Date
- September 7, 1983, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 116 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1984Boeing 727-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 12055
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft experienced a left walking beam failure when the landing gear was extended during approach, the acft log was noted 'during gear extension at 230 KTS tremendous bang occurred which dropped panels at rows 15-7 02 masks at row 18. Three green normal gear indication. On taxi in---no abnormalities noted.' The failed walking beam was made of aluminum. Three is an AD for this part calling for ultrasonic inspection every 1500 hours. During an inspection a mechanic mistookthe beam for a steel one and the inspection was not complied with at the proper time. Aal has taken corrective action and at last count all aluminum beams had been replaced.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1984
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- N1984
- Airframe hours
- 50,205
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-17A, 16,000 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- American Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- SMF · Sacramento, CA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- ORD · O'Hare
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORD
Other investigations on N1984 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.