ATR ATR 42 N426MQ

Summary

On 13 March 1993 at about 14:32 local time, a ATR ATR 42 registered N426MQ, operated by Simmons, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 March 1993 at 14:32

Classification

Incident

Location

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Chicago-O'hare Int'l (ORD)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

ATR ATR 42

Registration

N426MQ

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Simmons

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI93IA126

Nobody was injured.

AN IMPROPER CLEARANCE BY THE NORTH LOCAL CONTROLLER, WHICH RESULTED IN A FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER IFR SEPARATION. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE INCIDENT WAS: INADEQUATE COORDINATION AMONG THE TOWER PERSONNEL.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

RUNWAY CONFIGURATION WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING CHANGED FROM ARRIVALS & DEPARTURES ON RUNWAYS 32L & 32R TO DEPARTURES FROM 32R & ARRIVALS TO 32L. SIMMONS 4321, AN ATR-42, WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF BY THE NORTH LOCAL CONTROLLER (NLC) FROM RUNWAY 32R & SUBSEQUENTLY WAS INSTRUCTED TO TURN LEFT HEADING 270 DEG. THE SOUTH LOCAL CONTROLLER (SLC) THEN CLEARED UNITED 1206, A DC-10, FOR TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 32L. WHEN UNITED FLIGHT 1206 BECAME AIRBORNE, SIMMONS 4321 HAD ALREADY STARTED THE LEFT TURN WHICH PUT THE AIRCRAFT IN THE DEPARTURE PATH OF FLIGHT 1206. SEPARATION WAS REDUCED TO ZERO FEET VERTICALLY & .5 MILE LATERALLY. THE NLC SAID HE HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THE AREA SUPERVISOR REGARDING DEPARTURE HEADINGS (IF THERE WERE NO DEPARTURES ON RUNWAY 32L); IN THE CONVERSATION, HE THOUGHT THE AREA CONTROLLER HAD INDICATED THAT A LEFT TURN WOULD BY ALRIGHT. HOWEVER, THE AREA SUPERVISOR DENIED DISCUSSING A LEFT TURN; HIS RECOLLECTION WAS DISCUSSING THE USE OF A 340 DEGREE HEADING VERSUS A 350 DEGREE HEADING TO PROTECT FOR MISSED APPROACHES.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.