- Date
- September 23, 1991, 13:44 local (18:44 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 80 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N442AAMcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910923042449A
- Case key
- 15192
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight crew's failure to maintain adequate clearance from obstacles during ground operations. A related factor is the failure of the drivers of the escort vehicle and the semi trailer to follow established procedures and directives.
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.
Analysis
During after landing ground operations, the airplane struck a parked semi-trailer. The semi had been escorted from a construction site on the airport by a contracted escort service. The escort vehicle led the semi along the shoulder of the taxiway instead of following established routes. The semi struck a concrete bumper and the driver stopped to assess possible damage. He estimated the semi-trailer was about 100 feet from the edge of the taxiway when the airplane's left wing made contact. The flight crew reported they believed they had adequate clearance to taxi past the parked trailer until just prior to impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N442AA
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 49468
- Airframe hours
- 12,300
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-217-A, 20,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Registered owner
- First National Bank Of Boston
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- SEA · Seattle, WA
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- ORD · O'Hare Intl
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 427 in this make and model · 200 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.