Boeing 777-223ER incident near Chicago, Illinois, April 25, 2000
On April 25, 2000 at about 2:28 pm local time, a Boeing 777-223ER, registered N779AN, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 167 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flightcrew not detecting the runway closure NOTAM and the Air Traffic Control personnel on the metering, ground, and local positions giving an improper clearance to taxi to a closed runway. Factors were the closed runway, ATIS information not issued by Air Traffic Control personnel, and insufficiently defined procedures of disseminating pertinent safety of flight information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 2000 · about 2:28 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 167 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 777-223ER · all 777-223ERs on the register
- Registration
- N779AN · registry record · serial 225
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed from a closed runway. No injuries were reported. The first officer's stated, "After normal preflight and gate departure. We advised metering that we were ready for taxi and would prefer 32R if available. Ground gave us clearance to taxi to 32R. Tower first had us hold short and then position and hold awaiting the departure of two aircraft from intersecting runways. We were then cleared for takeoff." The airport had issued a runway closure NOTAM. The flight's dispatch contained the NOTAM. The dispatch listed the runway status as open. ATIS did not list the runway closure. A FAA recommendation stated, "Add the suggestion to our list of good operating procedures that closure strips should not be used as departure strip runway separators. Closure strips should be placed and left in a prominent position on the podiums. ... In addition to Locals and Grounds receiving runway closure strips, both Flight Data and Ground Metering should have closure strips as well. ... Revise Flight Data, Clearance Delivery, and Ground Metering positions relief checklists to include runway closure information. Brief operational personnel that runway closures must be broadcast on the ATIS. Brief operational personnel that pilots must be informed that a runway is closed when it is requested for takeoff/landing. Brief operational supervisors of the requirement to ensure ATIS broadcasts are correct and contain pertinent information."
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,087 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 648,000 lb
- Seats: 253
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce TRENT/892-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD at 2:28 pm
- Destination: LHR London OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32R, 10,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 126°F (52°C), dew point 82°F (28°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 15 | |||
| Passengers | 152 |
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 N779AN 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.