McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71 N870SJ
13 November 1992 · Chicago, Illinois, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 13 November 1992 at about 12:50 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71 registered N870SJ, operated by Southern Air Transport, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 12:50
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71
- Registration
- N870SJ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Southern Air Transport
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Not Reported
- NTSB number
- CHI93IA035
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
AN IMPROPER REPAIR OF THE RETRACT PIN BOSS AREA BY THE OVERHAUL FACILITY.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE CREW OF THE MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS DC-8 CARGO AIRPLANE RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR DURING ITS CLIMB TO CRUISE ALTITUDE. THE CREW ADVISED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT THE LANDING GEAR HAD NOT RETRACTED PROPERLY. DURING AN ATTEMPT TO ENSURE THE LANDING GEAR WAS IN THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION THE CREW HEARD A LOUD BANG. COINCIDENTAL WITH THE AIRCREW'S ACTIONS, A PERSON RESIDING IN A SINGLE FAMILY HOME REPORTED THAT A METAL OBJECT HAD PENETRATED HER HOME'S ROOF AND IMBEDDED ITSELF IN THE FLOOR. THE AIRPLANE RETURNED TO LAND WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR RETRACT PIN HAD SEPARATED FROM THE LANDING GEAR LEG. PORTIONS OF THE GEAR LEG RETRACT PIN BOSS AREA HAD SEPARATED AND WERE FOUND WEDGED ALONG SIDE THE GEAR ASSEMBLY. SUBSEQUENT METALLURGICAL INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PIN BOSS AREA HAD METAL FRACTURE FEATURES CONSISTENT WITH OVERLOAD, ONE OF WHICH WAS CONSISTENT WITH A PREEXISTING FRACTURE AREA. THE PIN BOSS AREA HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN OVER-BORED AND CHROME PLATED PRIOR TO A RETURN TO SERVICE. THE AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER STATED THE PIN BOSS BORE SHOULD NOT BE CHROME PLATED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas DC-8 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Dec 1992 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63 | Mexico City, Mexico | Emory Worldwide Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1991 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63F | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jun 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-62 | Paramaribo, Suriname | Suriname Airways | Fatal | 174 |
| 30 Jun 1988 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-73F | Seattle, Washington, United States | Emery Air Freight | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1987 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63 | Newburgh, New York, United States | Rosenbalm Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 1997 | McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F | Portland, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1992 | Cessna 177 | Manlius, Illinois, United States | Grand Lake Air Inc. | Fatal | 4 |
| 20 Sep 1992 | Cessna 152 | Ottawa, Illinois, United States | Legends, R.e. & J.k. Brown | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Sep 1992 | Beechcraft B55 | Joliet, Illinois, United States | J. F. Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 1992 | Cessna 150L | Elwood, Illinois, United States | Thomas F and Robert H Bentley | Fatal | 2 |
| 3 Mar 1992 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1992 | Douglas DC-8-61 | Morton Grove, Illinois, United States | Airborne Express Inc. | No injuries | - |