Cessna 208B accident near Chicago, Illinois, November 3, 2015
On November 3, 2015 at about 1:25 am local time, a 2004 Cessna 208B, registered N732MD, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (from runway) near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare International airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the driver of the service vehicle to yield to the taxiing airplane, which resulted in a near-collision and tail strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 2015 · about 1:25 am local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare International · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208B B, built 2004 · 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 landing in night visual meteorological conditions, the commuter flight proceeded to taxi to the ramp. Upon coming to a service road perpendicular to the taxiway, a vehicle moved directly across the airplane's taxi path. The flight crew immediately applied brakes to stop. While braking, the airplane's tail rocked aft and struck the ground. The flight crew contacted ground control to inform them about the vehicle incident and resumed taxi to the ramp, and the driver of the vehicle radioed the tower, informing them that he had cut off an aircraft. An inspection of the airplane by the operator revealed structural damage to the aft pressure bulkhead resulting from the tail strike.
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
- Abrupt maneuver during taxi (from runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Ground crew
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,274 hours in all; 3,814 in this make and model; 362 in the last 90 days; 232 in the last 30 days; 8,017 as pilot in command; 310 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 29, 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: 574 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 158 in the last 90 days; 82 in the last 30 days; 344 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 2, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,329 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 29, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 7,449 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PT6A SER (turboprop); 4,793 hours total
- Operator: Multi-Aero INC
The flight
- Departed from: IWD Ironwood MI at 11:00 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on July 3, 2017. 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 | PIC Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | First Officer Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Airport Diagram with Taxiways | PDF, 1 page | 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 PT6A SER 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Chicago O'Hare International · nearest airport
- Gogebic/Iron County · departed from
- 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/CEN16LA052.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.