# Incident 20020305006309I: Chicago, IL, March 5, 2002

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 5, 2002, 17:00 local time
- Place: Chicago, IL
- Airport: Chicago-O Hare International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: UALA
- Location: 41.9769° N, 87.9081° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHICAGO O'HARE INTL (ORD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.9769&lon=-87.9081&mi=10
- Aircraft: UNKNOWN (not matched to a registry record)
- People aboard: 183
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020305006309I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) AFTER LANDING AT CHICAGO'S O'HARE AIRPORT, WHILE TAXIING, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS REPORTED HEARING A "CRUNCHING SOUND." ANOTHER FLIGHT ATTENDANT REPORTED A LOUD NOISE IN THE NOSE GEAR AND THE AIRCRAFT "SHAKING." THE PILOTS BROUGHT THE AIRCRAFT TO A STOP ON THE TAXIWAY. THE CAPTAIN MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THEY WERE INVESTIGATING THE TIRES, IT WOULD BE A FEW MINUTES AND PLEASE REMAIN SEATED. PASSENGERS AT 2ABCD RANG THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT CALL BUTTON AND TOLD THE PURSER THAT THEY HAD SEEN SMOKE. THE PURSER REPORTED THIS TO THE CAPT. THE PASSENGER AT SEAT 4A REPORTED THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE NOSE GEAR TO ANOTHER FLIGHT ATTENDANT. IT WAS BELIEVED SHE HEARD THIS FROM CHANNEL 9 ON THE AIRCRAFT'S AUDIO SOUND, WHICH LISTENS TO ATC. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL STATED AN AIRCRAFT INFORMED THE PILOTS OF UAL. FLT. 1854 THAT THEIR NOSE GEAR WAS SMOKING. THE CAPT. CALLED THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ON THE INTERPHONE AND TOLD THEM TO BE "ALERT" AND THAT THEY MIGHT BE EVACUATING. ANOTHER AIRCRAFT REPORTED TO UAL 1854 THAT THEY HAD A NOSE GEAR FIRE AND SAW FLAMES. THIS PROMPTED THE CAPT. TO ORDER AN EVACUATION, AND THE EVACUATION ALARM WAS SOUNDED. THE ORDER "RELEASE YOUR SEAT BELTS AND GET OUT" WAS SHOUTED OVER THE PA. ALL EXITS WERE OPENED FOR THE EVACUATION. ALL FORWARD PASSENGERS EXITED OUT OF 1L. ALTHOUGH 1R WAS OPENED, NO ONE WENT OUT OF 1R. ALL DOORS AND SLIDES FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EVACUATED IN A TIMELY MANNER. THE EXACT TIME OF TOTAL EVACUATION IS NOT NOTED. SEVERAL FLIGHT ATTENDANTS PROMPTED PASSENGERS FROM THE WINDOW AREA TO COME FORWARD TO 2L/R, AS PASSENGERS WERE STILL WAITING TO EVACUATE OVERWING WHILE ALL OTHERS HAD LEFT THE AIRCRAFT FROM 1L AND 2L/R. ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT REPORTED SHE TOLD THE FIRST TWO MEN TO HELP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE, BUT THEY DIDN'T STAY. WHEN SHE PHYSICALLY GRABBED THE NEXT MAN'S SHIRT AND ORDERED HIM TO HELP AT THE BOTTOM, HE DID. ANOTHER FLIGHT ATTENDANT STATED THE SAME PROBLEM; ALL HELPERS WOULD LEAVE BEFORE THE EVACUATION WAS COMPLETE AT THAT EXIT. MANY PASSENGERS TRIED TO TAKE THEIR CARRY ON BAGGAGE OFF WITH THEM. THE PILOTS AND FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SWEPT THE AIRCRAFT, CHECKING FOR PASSENGERS, BEFORE LEAVING THE AIRCRAFT. OUTSIDE THE AIRCRAFT THE PASSENGERS WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS, ONE FORWARD AND ONE AFT. A FLIGHT ATTENDANT AT THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT STATED SHE STILL SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE FRONT LANDING GEAR, SO THE GROUP OF PASSENGERS WAS LED AWAY FARTHER FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOTS PLAYED AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THIS EVACUATION NOT ONLY IN THE AIRCRAFT, BUT AFTER EVACUATING AS WELL. THEY ASSISTED IN KEEPING THE GROUPS TOGETHER A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES IN THIS EVACUATION. BUSES WERE BROUGHT TO THE AIRCRAFT ABOUT 10 MINUTES AFTER EVACUATION AND TOOK ALL PASSENGERS AND CREW TO THE TERMINAL.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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