Boeing 737-322 and Fokker F27-500 incident near Chicago, Illinois, October 29, 1987
On October 29, 1987 at about 9:47 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Boeing 737-322 (N305UA) and Fokker F27-500 (N511AW), were involved in the same incident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare airport). No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1987 · about 9:47 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 737-322 · all 737-322s on the register
- Registration
- N305UA · registry record · serial 23666
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Fokker F27-500
- Registration
- N511AW · no longer on the register · serial 10690
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 737-322 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE SOUTH RWYS (32L, 9R, & 4R) WERE BEING CTLD BY THE SOUTH LCL CTLR (SLC) & THE NORTH RWYS (9L & 4L) WERE CTLD BY THE NORTH LCL CTLR (NLC). AT 1543:26, SLC TOLD UNITED FLT 973 (BOEING 737) TO HOLD ON 32L & EXPECT A 3 MIN DELAY BFR TKOF. AIR WISCONSIN FLT 954 (FOKKER F27) HAD BGN A VISUAL APCH TO 9R. AT 1545:23, AFTER COORDG WITH NLC, SLC CLRD THE F27 TO CIRCLE (SIDE STEP) FOR A LNDG ON RWY 9L & CHG FREQ TO NLC. THE FINAL APCH PATH (EXTD CTRLN OF 9L) CROSSED OVR RWY 32L. AT 1546:53, SLC CLRD THE 737 TO TKOF. AT APRX V1 (133 KTS), THE 737 PLTS SAW THE F27 CONVERGING, AS IT WAS ABT TO CROSS THEIR INTENDED TKOF PATH. THE F27 CREW DID NOT SEE THE 737. THE 737 CAPT DID NOT THINK HE COULD SAFELY CROSS UNDER THE F27 OR ABORT THE TKOF. HE ELECTED TO AVOID THE F27 BY CLBG OVER THE OTR ACFT RATHER THAN PASSING UNDER IT. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THE TWR PROCEDURE WAS CHGD SO THAT NO TKOF CLNC WOULD BE ISSUED TO A DEPG FLT ON RWY 32L UNTIL ARRIVING ACFT, CLRD TO LND ON RWY 9L, HAD REACHED THE THRESHOLD OF THAT RWY.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Fokker F27-500 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE SOUTH RWYS (32L, 9R, & 4R) WERE BEING CTLD BY THE SOUTH LCL CTLR (SLC) & THE NORTH RWYS (9L & 4L) WERE CTLD BY THE NORTH LCL CTLR (NLC). AT 1543:26, SLC TOLD UNITED FLT 973 (BOEING 737) TO HOLD ON 32L & EXPECT A 3 MIN DELAY BFR TKOF. AIR WISCONSIN FLT 954 (FOKKER F27) HAD BGN A VISUAL APCH TO 9R. AT 1545:23, AFTER COORDG WITH NLC, SLC CLRD THE F27 TO CIRCLE (SIDE STEP) FOR A LNDG ON RWY 9L & CHG FREQ TO NLC. THE FINAL APCH PATH (EXTD CTRLN OF 9L) CROSSED OVR RWY 32L. AT 1546:53, SLC CLRD THE 737 TO TKOF. AT APRX V1 (133 KTS), THE 737 PLTS SAW THE F27 CONVERGING, AS IT WAS ABT TO CROSS THEIR INTENDED TKOF PATH. THE F27 CREW DID NOT SEE THE 737. THE 737 CAPT DID NOT THINK HE COULD SAFELY CROSS UNDER THE F27 OR ABORT THE TKOF. HE ELECTED TO AVOID THE F27 BY CLBG OVER THE OTR ACFT RATHER THAN PASSING UNDER IT. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THE TWR PROCEDURE WAS CHGD SO THAT NO TKOF CLNC WOULD BE ISSUED TO A DEPG FLT ON RWY 32L UNTIL ARRIVING ACFT, CLRD TO LND ON RWY 9L, HAD REACHED THE THRESHOLD OF THAT RWY.
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 for the Boeing 737-322 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 135,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD at 9:47 pm
- Destination: OMA Omaha NE
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32L, 13,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:25 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 90 |
The factual record for the Fokker F27-500 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 45,900 lb
- Seats: 55
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce DART 536 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKE Milwaukee WI
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9L, 7,416 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 49 |
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 N305UA 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.