Cessna 208B accident near Chicago, Illinois, August 2, 2015
On August 2, 2015 at about 7:37 pm local time, a 2015 Cessna 208B, registered N942AC, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare International airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 7 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An encounter with a wind gust during ground maneuvering and the captain’s improper flight control positioning to account for wind conditions, which resulted in the airplane being blown onto its left wing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2015 · about 7:37 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 7 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B, built 2015 · all 208Bs on the register
- Registration
- N942AC · no longer on the register · serial 208B-5202
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the commercial flight crew waited for a takeoff clearance on the taxiway, the tower controller asked if they would move aside to allow other aircraft to pass. As the captain made a right turn, a wind gust lifted the right side of the airplane and turned it clockwise. The airplane came to rest on its nose and its left wing for several seconds, then fell back upright on all three landing gear. The engine was secured, and all occupants deplaned through the main cabin door. Thunderstorms were reported west of the airport, moving east at the time of the accident, and wind gusts to 45 knots were recorded about the time of the upset. It is likely that the captain did not properly position the flight controls during the turning maneuver, which led to the wind picking up the wing.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during taxi
- Nose over/nose down during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,800 hours in all; 2,100 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 4,200 as pilot in command; 2,100 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 25, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 591 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 201 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 27, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 357 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 25, 2015; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,842 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-140 (turboprop); 357 hours total
- Operator: Multi-Aero, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 7:10 pm
- Destination: BRL Burlington IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28C, 10,801 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 16 knots, gusting 45
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 7:43 pm from KORD, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N942AC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.