- Date
- January 31, 1985, 11:06 local (17:06 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 26 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8959EMcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850131006329I
- Case key
- 12910
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 aborted takeoff that began this sequence was due to engine inlet icing. Moisture from the wet ramp was ingested into the engines as the acft taxied to the runway. No engine anti-ice was used because no visible moisture existed. Following the abort the pilot turnned the engine anti-ice on, but unbeknown to him the system was unable to de-ice the engines. Suspecting, but not sure that ice was his original problem, he did a full-power engine run-up prior to his next takeoff. Since his engine indications looked good prior to brake release. He performed the takeoff but aborted the flight shortly after liftoff due to a power loss on both engines. One-fourth inch of ice was found on the engine inlet bullets after the aircraft taxied back to the ramp.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8959E
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 47157
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-1B, 18,000 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Eastern Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- CLT · Charlotte, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ORD · O'Hare International Arpt, runway 32, 11,600 × 200 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total · 200 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 1 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORD, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.