Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B accident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, November 14, 2004
On November 14, 2004 at about 4:00 am local time, a Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B, registered N305CE, was involved in an accident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin (General Mitchell International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 28 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the ramp employee to maintain clearance to the rotating propeller resulting in inadvertent contact with a propeller blade.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 2004 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin · General Mitchell International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 28 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B
- Registration
- N305CE · no longer on the register · serial 202
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A ramp services employee sustained serious injuries when he was struck by a rotating propeller blade while conducting arrival activities after the air carrier flight had parked at the gate. The airplane was not damaged. The captain of the flight reported that he had shut down the left (No. 1) engine prior to arrival at the gate. He parked the airplane normally and when he was notified that the wheels chocks had been installed he feathered the right (No. 2) engine propeller. After the cabin door was opened, the captain noted that he heard "three or four quick thumps" and received a signal from ramp personnel to shut down the right (No. 2) engine. When he exited the aircraft he saw the ramp service employee lying beneath the aircraft. An employee on the ramp stated that the ramp employee involved walked outside of the left wing with two chocks toward the nose of the aircraft. She reported that he walked to the nose landing gear, slowed down, and then continued walking around to the other side of the aircraft. She noted that she was unable to determine his distance from the right (No. 2) engine propeller. She stated that she heard the "sound of something hit the [propeller]" and she saw the individual "flip and land on the ground." The ramp services employee involved was hired approximately one month prior to the accident. He had received one week of general training, followed by specific training and mentoring at his assigned work location. In a statement prepared after the accident, the mentor assigned to the individual involved reported that he was specifically trained to chock the main landing gear by approaching from the rear. The mentor also stated that he never observed the individual install main landing gear chocks by approaching from the front of the aircraft. The mentoring program was to be continued until the individual was proficient in all required tasks. According to the airline station manager, a mentor was to supervise the individual in training during ramp operations.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,290 hours in all; 1,704 in this make and model; 127 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 2,026 as pilot in command; 1,131 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 17, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,107 hours in all; 2,019 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 37 in the last 30 days; 2,303 as pilot in command; 7 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 30, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30,238 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 11, 2004; 133 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 28,500 lb
- Seats: 40
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CT7-9B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CT7-9B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Chicago Express Airlines Inc
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL at 3:32 am
- Destination: MKE Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.70 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 am from MKE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 25 |
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.
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.