Douglas DC-10 incident near Chicago, Illinois, February 11, 1988
On February 11, 1988 at about 4:48 am local time, a Douglas DC-10, registered N123AA, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 206 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
JUDGEMENTAL ERROR ON THE PART OF THE LOCAL CONTROLLER FOR CLEARING VEHICLES ACROSS THE ACTIVE RUNWAY TIWH INSUFFICIENT SEPARATION FROM ARRIVING AIRCRAFT, WHICH WAS FURTHER COMPROMISED BY A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION IN THE EQUIPMENT CROSSING THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 1988 · about 4:48 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 206 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-10 · all DC-10s on the register
- Registration
- N123AA · registry record · serial 46523
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 2245:29 CST, A DC-10 FLT CREW RPRTD AT THE FINAL APCH FIX ON AN ILS RWY 9R APCH. THE FINAL APCH FIX WAS 4.7 MI FROM THE RWY. THE DC-10 WAS CLEARED TO LAND, THEN MOMENTS LATER, A SNOW REMOVAL TEAM (WORKING ON RWY 32L) REQUESTED THAT FOUR VEHICLES BE CLEARED TO CROSS RWY 9R. THE TOWER CONTROLLER PROVIDED CLEARANCE FOR THE VEHICLES TO CROSS THE ACTIVE RWY. AT 2247:28, THE LEAD MAN OF THE GROUP OF VEHICLES REPORTED THAT THEY WERE CLEAR OF THE RWY. HOWEVER, WHEN THE FOURTH VEHICLE WAS ABOUT HALF WAY ACROSS THE RWY, ITS MANUAL TRANSMISSION JUMPED OUT OF GEAR & THE DRIVER HAD DIFFICULTY REENGAGING IT. AT 2248:00, THE LEAD MAN OF THE VEHICLES NOTIFIED THE TOWER OF THE PROBLEM, BUT BY THEN, THE DC-10 WAS LANDING. AFTER THE DC-10 HAD TOUCHED DOWN & THE SPOILERS WERE DEPLOYED (BEFORE THE NOSEWHEEL WAS LOWERED),THE FLT CREW SAW THE VEHICLE AT THE EDGE OF THE RWY & THE CAPTAIN TOOK EVASIVE ACTION. HE STEARED THE ACFT AROUND THE VEHICLE, THEN CONTINUED THE LANDING 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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,446 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 615,000 lb
- Seats: 345
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9R, 10,140 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from ORD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N123AA 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.