Boeing 747-300 accident near Chicago, Illinois, August 23, 1992
On August 23, 1992 at about 5:33 pm local time, a Boeing 747-300, registered HL746, was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 277 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN UNSAFE/HAZARDOUS CONDITION THAT WAS NOT IDENTIFIED BY THE VEHICLE DRIVER, AND AN INADEQUATE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE AIRPLANE AND VEHICLE AS THE DRIVER DROVE THE VEHICLE BEHIND THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1992 · about 5:33 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 277 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-300 · all 747-300s on the register
- Registration
- HL746 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE, A FOUR ENGINED HEAVY JET, WAS DIRECTED TO TAXI TO AN ACTIVE RUNWAY. THE TAXI ROUTE WOULD EVENTUALLY CROSS AN ACTIVE RUNWAY. GROUND CONTROL DIRECTED THE AIRPLANE NOT TO CROSS THAT RUNWAY. THIS COMMAND WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE AIRCREW. THE AIRPLANE STOPPED AND HELD ITS SOUTHERLY ORIENTED POSITION ON THE NORTH-SOUTH ORIENTED TAXIWAY WHICH INTERSECTED THE ACTIVE RUNWAY. WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS STOPPED, A MAINTENANCE UTILITY TRUCK OPERATED BY ANOTHER AIRLINE CAME TO A STOP ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE SERVICE ROAD WHICH CROSSED PERPENDICULAR TO THE TAXIWAY THE AIRPLANE WAS POSITIONED ON. GROUND CONTROL DIRECTED THE AIRPLANE TO CONTINUE TAXIING. AS THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO POWERUP, THE SERVICE TRUCK DROVE BEHIND IT. THE TRUCK WAS STRUCK BY THE AIRPLANE'S JETBLAST AND ROLLED OVER TWO OR THREE TIMES. A REVIEW OF THE AIRPORT'S MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATING REGULATIONS HANDBOOK AND THE AIRLINE'S DRIVER TRAINING PROGRAM REVEALED THE DANGERS OF JETBLAST TO MOTOR VEHICLES WERE NOT COVERED.
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: foreign licence
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 836,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Korean Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ORD
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:39 pm from ORD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 24 | |||
| Passengers | 253 |
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.