The Nation - News from July 30, 1989

Mechanical problems affected two jetliner landings, but both planes touched down safely and there were no injuries. In Rochester, N.Y., an American Airlines 727 carrying 28 passengers and a crew of six made an emergency landing because the hydraulic system that operates the craft’s landing gear failed. American Airlines spokesman James Brown said one of three hydraulic systems of the plane failed en route from the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., airport and the crew was forced to use a backup hydraulic system to lower the landing gear. The plane landed without incident at Greater Rochester International Airport and had to be towed from the end of the runway to the terminal because of a malfunctioning nose gear. In Chicago, an Eastern Airlines DC-9 lost its fiberglass tail cone while landing at O’Hare International. Flight 236 from Atlanta to Chicago was carrying 99 passengers and a crew of six. “It’s no big deal,” said a Federal Aviation Administration duty officer who declined to give his name. “It’s just like your bumper falling off your car.”