Bombardier CL-600-2B19 accident near Chicago, Illinois, December 17, 2007
On December 17, 2007, a Bombardier CL-600-2B19, registered N918SW, 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; 32 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The tug driver's failure to yield the right-of-way to the airplane prior to crossing the active taxiway as required by airport procedures, and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance with the airplane. A contributing factor was the presence of the tug on the taxiway at the time the airplane passed the service road intersection. Additional factors were the wet pavement and the night lighting conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 2007
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 32 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bombardier CL-600-2B19 · all CL-600-2B19s on the register
- Registration
- N918SW · registry record · serial 7645
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain reported that the flight had landed and was taxiing to the gate when the accident occurred. He stated that as they passed an airport service road - taxiway intersection, the airplane hit something. The captain brought the airplane to a stop, but at the time the flight crew could not see what they hit. He continued, turning left onto the next intersecting taxiway. At that time he saw the overturned tug along the south edge of the taxiway at the service road intersection. He taxied to the assigned gate and deplaned the passengers without further incident. Witnesses in a van behind the tug reported that the tug did not stop short of the taxiway and continued to move onto the taxiway as the airplane approached. The right wing of the airplane subsequently struck the tug and flipped it over. The tug driver was hospitalized for injuries received during the accident. He had no recollection of the events surrounding the accident. Witnesses recalled that the taxiway was wet at the service road intersection, but that it was not snowing at that time. The surface visibility about the time of the accident was 10 miles with no precipitation or restrictions to visibility. The airport Ground Motor Vehicle Operation Regulations Manual stated that, "All ground vehicle operators must yield the right-of-way to an aircraft in motion."
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,337 hours in all; 4,772 in this make and model; 227 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,177 hours in all; 366 in this make and model; 232 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,195 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 1, 2007
- Seats: 54
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF34-3B1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF34-3B1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skywest Airlines Inc
The flight
- Departed from: MSN Madison WI
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22R, 7,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 280° at 9 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 29 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI08LA051.