Boeing 737-7H4 N963WN
11 September 2022 · Chicago, Illinois, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 11 September 2022 at about 20:50 local time, a Boeing 737-7H4 registered N963WN, operated by Southwest Airlines Co, was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois, United States. 322 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Nearest airport
- Chicago O'Hare International (KORD)
- Coordinates
- 41.9803, -87.9090
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-7H4
- Registration
- N963WN
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2011
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Southwest Airlines Co
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Denver → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA22LA201
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 322 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 322 |
Probable cause
Southwest Airlines flight crew’s misjudgment of the distance required to safely pass the American Airlines airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
After landing on runway 27R at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Southwest Airlines B737 flight 2659 (SWA2659) was cleared by ground control to taxi to gate M-14 via taxiways Z, D, TT, A, A-19. As they proceeded down taxiway A, both pilots observed an American Airlines B737 (AA1121) holding short of taxiway A-19. The pilots of SWA2659 asked ground control for permission to utilize taxiway A-20 instead and were granted permission. The captain said that as he tried to pass AA1121, he stayed left of centerline to ensure wingtip clearance. The first officer was looking out the window and informed the captain that their airplane’s wingtip was clear. However, their right winglet impacted the left elevator of AA1121. AA1121 was stationary on taxiway A and holding short of taxiway A-19 with the parking brake set, awaiting entry to gate K-20, when it was impacted by SWA2659. Figure 1. Depiction of SWA2659 taxi route and area of occurrence (Adapted from Google Earth) Post-event examination of both airplanes revealed that the right winglet of SWA2659 was damaged and sheared off by the impact and the left elevator of AA1121 was substantially damaged.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-7H4 | N963WN | Southwest Airlines Co | Minor |
| Boeing 737-823 | N909NN | American Airlines Inc | Substantial |
Other Boeing 737 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jun 2022 | Boeing 737 | Perth, Australia | Toll Airlines | Unknown | - |
| 21 Oct 2022 | Boeing 737 | Dhaka, Bangladesh | US-Bangla Airlines Ltd. | Unknown | - |
| 3 Oct 2022 | Boeing 737 | Frankfurt, Germany | Transavia Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 2022 | Boeing 737 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Malaysia Airlines | Unknown | - |
| 1 Sep 2022 | Boeing 737-824 | Denver, Colorado, United States | United Airlines Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Oct 2022 | Boeing 737 | Cairns, Australia | - | Unknown | - |
All 1,317 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Jul 2022 | Beechcraft A35 | Centralia, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Jul 2022 | Robinson R44 II | Waterloo, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 2022 | Piper PA-28-235 | Monee, Illinois, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Mar 2022 | Cessna 172P | Pinckneyville, Illinois, United States | Southern Illinois University | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jun 2022 | Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2012 TRAVELLER | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Hyannis Air Service, Inc | No injuries | - |
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