Boeing 767-300 accident near Chicago, Illinois, March 16, 2007
On March 16, 2007 at about 2:35 am local time, a Boeing 767-300, registered N662UA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 203 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The contained fan blade tip separation following the ingestion of several birds into the left engine during takeoff and the lack of an adequate response time available to crew to avert the bird strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2007 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 203 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-300 · all 767-300s on the register
- Registration
- N662UA · registry record · serial 27159
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted a flock of canvas back ducks after takeoff while climbing through 800 feet above ground level. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The captain reported that the landing lights illuminated the ducks and in less than a second the airplane struck the ducks. The left engine fan blade was struck by 3-5 ducks at the midspan shroud liberating the fan blade tip, which was contained. The impact resulted in movement of the variable stator vanes and 2.5 bleed valves. The engine then made an uncommanded shutdown. The hydraulic pressure supply manifold broke due to high vibratory fatigue after the impact, which also resulted in minimizing the amount of fuel released into the engine nacelle. The airplane returned for landing at the departure airport without further incident.
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, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,965 hours in all; 2,898 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight Engineer
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 60,414 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 407,000 lb
- Seats: 205
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 4060 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 2:35 am
- Destination: SBGR Sao Paulo
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 09R, 10,144 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 030° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 am from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 10 | |||
| Passengers | 193 |
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.