- Date
- September 12, 1989, 17:46 local (22:46 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 108 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N244AAMcDonnell Douglas MD-80
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890912036139A
- Case key
- 14275
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A loss of hydraulic system pressure due to the operator's failure to replace a system component that had a known history of failures, and the pilot's improper use powerplant controls resulting in a degradation of rudder effectiveness. A contributing factor was the failure of the power transfer unit shutoff valve.
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
During descent a complete hydraulic system failure occurred. During the landing rollout the airplane ran off the side of the runway & collided with a manhole cover collapsing the nose gear. The power transfer unit shutoff valve, p/n 240695, failed; one of the dual valve body halves separated at the mounting plate. The valve had a known history of failures, and a kit version of a 'fix' to the valve had been available by the manufacturer. The flight manual cautions that for landing with no hydraulic power, increasing amounts of reverse thrust significantly reduces rudder effectiveness, and in the event of directional control problems to reduce reverse thrust as required and select forward idle if necessary to maintain or regain control. Dfdr readout show the application of thrust greater than idle reverse during the the landing rollout.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N244AA
- Reported as
- McDonnell Douglas MD-80
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 49256
- Airframe hours
- 16,332
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-217A & C, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Registered owner
- Connecticut National Bank
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 11, 1989 · 6 hours before
- Departed
- ROC · Rochester, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ORD · Chicago O'Hare Intl, runway 9R, 10,141 × 150 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
- Age
- 39
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,600 total · 876 in this make and model · 160 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ORD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N244AA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.