Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31 incident near Chicago, Illinois, December 14, 1989
On December 14, 1989 at about 4:09 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31, registered N8969E, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (Midway airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE SNOW REMOVAL BY AIRPORT PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 1989 · about 4:09 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Midway · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · all DC-9-31s on the register
- Registration
- N8969E · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A SNOW STORM & SNOW REMOVAL OPERATIONS WERE IN PROGRESS. CREW REPORTED BRAKING ACTION FAIR-TO-GOOD FIRST 2/3 OF RWY BUT DETERIORATING TO NIL APPROACHING DEPARTURE END. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF RWY ALL BRAKING WAS LOST & AIRCRAFT SKIDDED OFF DEPARTURE END COLLIDING WITH BLAST FENCE AND LOCALIZER ANTENNA. THE LAST 1/3 OF THE RWY HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY SANDED ABOUT 1 HOUR PRIOR TO THE 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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 5,500 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: 104,000 lb
- Seats: 110
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Ft. Worth TX at 2:27 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 6,102 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:10 am from MDW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 31 |
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.