British Aerospace BAE-146-200 incident near Chicago, Illinois, April 17, 1994
On April 17, 1994 at about 4:35 pm local time, a British Aerospace BAE-146-200, registered N609AW, was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 72 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loose fuel nozzle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1994 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 72 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200 BAE-146-20 · all BAE-146-200s on the register
- Registration
- N609AW · no longer on the register · serial E2070
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During climb after takeoff the number two engine fire warning activated. The flight crew secured the engine and completed the emergency checklist. The captain declared an emergency and returned to the airport. After landing, the captain directed the first officer, and the fire department to visually inspect the number two engine. No fire damage was evident. The airplane was taxied to the gate and the passengers were deplaned. Examination of the engine revealed a loose fuel nozzle in the right hand fuel manifold on the number two engine.
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: 18,528 hours in all; 5,692 in this make and model; 213 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,385 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 16, 1994; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 93,000 lb
- Seats: 102
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming ALF-502R-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LEX Lexington KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from ORD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 68 |
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 N609AW 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.