McDonnell Douglas MD-80 N490AA
31 August 1989 · Chicago, Illinois, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 31 August 1989 at about 05:53 local time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 registered N490AA, operated by American Airlines, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 05:53
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Nearest airport
- O'hare Intl (ORD)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas MD-80
- Registration
- N490AA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Columbus
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- CHI89IA180
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
THE FAILURE OF THE CONTROLLER TO CLARIFY THE CONFUSING COMMUNICATIONS, TO CORRECT THE PILOT'S MISINTERPRETATION OF THE INSTRUCTIONS BEING GIVEN, AND THE FAILURE OF THE SUPERVISOR TO PROPERLY MONITOR THE SITUATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE INCIDENT WERE THE PILOT'S MISINTERPRETATION OF THE CLEARANCE, THE CONTROLLERS EXPECTANCY AND AURAL PERCEPTION OF THE COMMUNICATIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
GLA268 (BEECH E33, N7135N) WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF ON RWY 27L FROM THE BRANCH INTERSECTION BY A FULL PERFORMANCE LEVEL (FPL) CONTROLLER. AA9168 (MD-80, N490AA), WHICH HAD BEEN CLEARED TO RWY 27L BY A DEVELOPMENTAL CONTROLLER UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE FPL CONTROLLER, TWICE ACKNOWLEDGED THE TAKEOFF CLEARANCE FOR GLA268. GLA268 WAS AGAIN GIVEN TAKEOFF CLEARANCE BY THE FPL CONTROLLER. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AA9168 INITIATED ITS TAKEOFF ROLL FROM THE END OF THE RWY. AA9168 SAW GLA268 AHEAD OF IT AND QUERIED THE DEVELOPMENTAL CONTROLLER. AT THIS POINT THE FPL CONTROLLER TOOK OVER AND INSTRUCTED AA9168 TO ABORT ITS TAKEOFF. THE PILOT OF GLA268 REPORTED HE WAS ABOUT 50 FT AGL WHEN HE HEARD AA9168 ABORTING THE TAKEOFF.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-80 MD-80 | N490AA | American Airlines | - |
| Beechcraft E33 E33 | N7135N | Great Lakes Aviation | - |
Other McDonnell Douglas MD-80 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep 1989 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | American Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 May 1989 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Continental Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | American Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1987 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | American Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 17 Oct 1991 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | American Airlines, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1987 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Continental Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Aug 1989 | Cessna 150M | Plainfield, Illinois, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1989 | Piper PA-28-180 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Michael J. Belica | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Mar 1989 | Short Brothers SD360 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Simmons Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 4 May 1989 | Fokker F-27 MK500 | Moline, Illinois, United States | Air Wisconsin | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |