McDonnell Douglas MD-80 N244AA
29 October 1996 · Jamaica, New York, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 29 October 1996 at about 03:31 local time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 registered N244AA, operated by American Airlines, Inc, was involved in an accident near Jamaica, New York, United States. 93 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. 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 03:31
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Jamaica, New York, United States
- Nearest airport
- John F. Kennedy Intl Apt (JFK)
- Coordinates
- 40.6508, -73.7905
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas MD-80
- Registration
- N244AA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- American Airlines, Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Chicago → Flushing
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- NYC97LA009
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 90 |
Probable cause
Failure of the nose landing gear upper lock link.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight was inbound to land, when the flight crew observed an unsafe nose gear indication. The crew was unable to confirm that the gear was down, and diverted to Runway 31R at JFK. The airplane landed on the runway, with the nose gear retracted, and an emergency evacuation was performed. Examination of the wreckage revealed the nose landing gear upper lock link was fractured into two pieces. The linkage jammed against the shock strut structure, preventing extension of the strut. According to the airplane manufacturer, the nose landing gear upper lock link failed due to fatigue. It was made from aluminum plating. Originally, all the links were made from forged aluminum. Then, the company used plated aluminum because it weighed less. Although both types of lock links were of the same strength, the aluminum plating fatigued sooner than the forged links. After the accident, the company replaced all aluminum plated upper lock links with forged ones.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas MD-80 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Dec 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Dec 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Dec 1997 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | San Francisco, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Feb 1999 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Oct 2000 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | Continental Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 2000 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Paris, France | Air Liberte | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Aug 1996 | Aerofab LAKE 250 | Adirondack, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150J | Warwick, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 1 Sep 1996 | Schweizer SGS-1-26E | Elmira, New York, United States | Harris Hill Soaring Corp., | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Apr 1996 | Cessna 172RG | Duanesburg, New York, United States | Michael B. Ruggera | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jun 1996 | Piper PA-23-150 | Cortland, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 25 Aug 1996 | Lockheed L-1011-100 | Jamaica, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |