McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 N142AA
23 December 1991 · Chicago, Illinois, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 December 1991 at about 15:05 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 registered N142AA, operated by American Airlines, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois, United States. 315 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 15:05
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Nearest airport
- Chicago O'hare (ORD)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
- Registration
- N142AA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 3
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Honolulu
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI92IA061
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 315 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 315 |
Probable cause
THE LOCAL CONTROLLER'S NOT UNDERSTANDING READ BACK OF RADIO COMMUNICATIONS. FACTORS INCLUDE THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND OF FLIGHT 73 NOT UNDERSTANDING VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS; LOCAL CONTROLLER NOT VISUALLY IDENTIFYING THE AIRCRAFT; AND INADEQUATE SURVEILLANCE (FAA) IN THE TOWER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 73 (N142AA) WAS HOLDING IN POSITION ON RUNWAY 32R. AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 489 (N497AA) WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 9L. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 873 WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 32L, FROM T1 INTERSECTION. BOTH FLIGHT 73 AND FLIGHT 873 ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLEARANCE AND INITIATED TAKEOFF ROLLS. THE LOCAL CONTROLLER DID NOT DETECT THE CONFUSION. A NEAR COLLISION OF TWO OF THE AIRCRAFT OCCURRED WHEN FLIGHT 489, IN THE INITIAL CLIMB PHASE OF FLIGHT, PASSED OVER FLIGHT 73, ON TAKEOFF ROLL, IN THE INTERSECTION OF RUNWAYS 32R AND 9L.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 DC-10-30 | N142AA | American Airlines | - |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 DC-9-82 | N497AA | American Airlines | - |
Other McDonnell Douglas DC-10 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 1991 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1991 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Los Angeles, California, United States | American Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1992 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | United Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 1992 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F | Faro, Portugal | Martinair | Fatal | 56 |
| 20 Jan 1990 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 | San Juan | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1990 | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | Bharu, Malaysia | World Airways, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Nov 1991 | Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Simmons Airlines Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 May 1991 | Enstrom F28 | Hampshire, Illinois, United States | Asteroid Helicopter Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1991 | Piper PA-12 | Roscoe, Illinois, United States | Robert L. REX | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 May 1991 | Cessna 172N | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Chicago Skyline, Ltd. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 1991 | Cessna C-210G | Freeport, Illinois, United States | Schwinn, Phillip C. | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 1991 | Cessna 152 | Greenville, Illinois, United States | Charles A. Bunting | No injuries | - |