Aerospatiale ATR-72-212 accident near Chicago, Illinois, June 4, 1993
On June 4, 1993 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Aerospatiale ATR-72-212, registered N345AT, was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 67 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING/DECISION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1993 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 67 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR-72-212 ATR 72-212 · all ATR-72-212s on the register
- Registration
- N345AT · no longer on the register · serial N345AT
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES AND TEN MILES SOUTHEAST OF O'HARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AMERICAN EAGLE FLIGHT 4126 ENCOUNTERED 'SEVERE VERTICAL TURBULENCE DURING CLIMB.' A FLIGHT ATTENDANT SUSTAINED A FRACTURED ANKLE DURING A FALL. THE FLIGHT DEPARTING CHICAGO O'HARE EN ROUTE TO CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS WAS ABORTED, AND THE CAPTAIN MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING AT O'HARE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNDAMAGED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,160 hours in all; 774 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 47,465 lb
- Seats: 68
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Simmons Airlines
The flight
- Destination: CMI Champaign IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 13 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from ORD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 64 |
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 N345AT 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.