Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 incident near Chicago, Illinois, August 12, 1988
On August 12, 1988 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Aerospatiale ATR-42-300, registered N426MQ, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago-O'Hare Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 46 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
- August 12, 1988 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago-O'Hare Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 46 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 ATR 42-300
- Registration
- N426MQ · no longer on the register · serial 037
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
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: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,589 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 25, 1988; 120 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 40,000 lb
- Seats: 50
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TVC Traverse City MI
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:00 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 43 |
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 N426MQ 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.