- Date
- December 13, 1989, 22:09 local (Dec 14, 1989, 04:09 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 36 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8969EMcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 14561
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Inadequate snow removal by airport personnel.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Overrun
Weather condition - snowFactor
Airport facilities,runway/landing area condition - snow coveredCause
Airport snow removal - inadequateCause
On ground/water collision with object
Object - airport facility
Analysis
A snow storm & snow removal operations were in progress. Crew reported braking action fair-to-good first 2/3 of rwy but deteriorating to nil approaching departure end. While attempting to turn off rwy all braking was lost & aircraft skidded off departure end colliding with blast fence and localizer antenna. The last 1/3 of the rwy had been previously sanded about 1 hour prior to the incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8969E
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- P&W JT8-9, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Midway Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- DFW · Ft. Worth, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MDW · Midway, runway 4R, 6,102 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 5,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MDW