Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Chicago O'hare Intl Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Chicago, Illinois 60018
Tuesady, June 20, 2006 6:30 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airplane was damaged during landing with the nose landing gear in the up position. According to statements from the flight crew and communications transcripts, the flight crew attempted to lower the landing gear and did not receive a gear down indication for the nose landing gear. The flight crew requested and performed a low-approach at which time the air traffic control tower personnel confirmed that the nose landing gear was not extended. The flight crew executed a climb to 6,000 feet and contacted American Airlines maintenance in an attempt to troubleshoot the problem. After performing the steps in the appropriate emergency checklists, including an attempted manual extension of the nose landing gear, proved unsuccessful, the flight crew executed a landing on runway 14R with the main landing gear extended and the nose landing gear in the up position. Examination of the airplane revealed that the nose landing gear spray deflector center link had fractured and the right hand urethane deflector was displaced. The deflector was rotated aft and was not in the track within the wheel well that contains the deflector when in the retracted position. When attempting to lower the nose landing gear, the deflector was observed to impinge on the nose landing gear wheel well structure preventing the nose landing gear from extending. The nose landing gear spray deflector components were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. The center deflector assembly was fractured along three separate lines where the right side deflector is attached. The aft right side of the center deflector was fractured through the bolt holes and the vertical and horizontal plate members. Magnified optical examinations of the three fracture faces revealed rough, crystalline matte gray surfaces consistent with overstress separations in cast aluminum alloys at each location. No evidence of porosity, corrosion or preexisting cracking was noted on any of the fracture faces. The engineering drawing specified the center deflector, p/n 5952241, as cast aluminum alloy C355 per federal specification QQ-A-596, solution heat treated and aged to T61 temper. A Brinell hardness impression on a piece of the center deflector measured 101 HB, which was consistent with the specified alloy and heat treatment.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The jammed nose landing gear due to a failure of the nose landing gear spray deflector for undetermined reasons.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 6/20/2006 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 630 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Chicago |
| Event State | ILLINOIS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 60018 |
| Event Date Year | 2006 |
| Event Date Month | 6 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 415843N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0875417W |
| Event Location Airport | CHICAGO O'HARE INTL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | ORD |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 668 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 553 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | ORD |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 668 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 14 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Variable |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 4 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.03 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | METAR KORD 201053Z VRB04KT 10SM SCT250 18/14 A3003 |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 136 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 22343 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jun 20 2006 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Nov 29 2007 8:02AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\johb |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Chicago, Illinois |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N961TW |
| NTSB Number | CHI06FA158 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 121: Air Carrier |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | Yes |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | McDonnell Douglas |
| Aircraft Model | DC-9-83 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 53611 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 161000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 136 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Nov 1 2005 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 20836 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | American Airlines |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Fort Worth |
| Aircraft Owner State | TX |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 76155 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | -- |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | -- |
| Operator State | -- |
| Operator Country | -- |
| Operator Zip code | -- |
| Operator Code | AALA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | -- |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | LAX |
| Departure City | LOS ANGELES |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 2350 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | ORD |
| Destination City | Chicago |
| Destination State | IL |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Sep 29 2007 5:10PM |
| User who most recently changed record | DINC |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 14R |
| Runway Length | 13000 |
| Runway Width | 200 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |