Cessna 208B accident near Chicago, Illinois, July 17, 2013
On July 17, 2013 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna 208B, registered N732MD, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare International A airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The gate agent’s premature removal of the tailstand without confirming with the flight crew that it was safe to remove, which allowed the airplane to tilt backward when a passenger stood up and stepped toward the back of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2013 · about 1:00 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare International A · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N732MD · registry record · serial 208B1083
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the airplane was boarded, the gate agent removed the tailstand from the airplane without communicating with the flight crew. A passenger in row 3 then stood up to hand a carry-on bag to the second-in-command, who was standing in the doorway, for stowage in the cargo compartment. As the passenger stood up and stepped toward the back of the airplane, the airplane tilted backward, and its tail struck the tarmac, which resulted in substantial damage. The gate agent's premature removal of the tailstand allowed the airplane to tilt backward when the passenger stood up and stepped toward the back of the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aircraft loading event during prior to flight defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Ground crew
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › (general) › (general) › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,550 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 242 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 4,218 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 9, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,530 hours in all; 1,171 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 1,522 as pilot in command; 826 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 26, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,473 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 1, 2013
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6-114A (turboprop); 9,254 hours total
- Operator: Multi-Aero INC
The flight
- Departed from: KORD Chicago IL
- Destination: KBRL Burlington IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 12:51 pm from KORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 15, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight and Ground Crew Statements | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N732MD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N732MD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 208 Caravan 1,018 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W PT6-114A 12 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chicago O'Hare International · nearest airport
- Southeast Iowa Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,069 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N732MD 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN13LA421.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.