Boeing 757-2Q8 accident near Chicago, Illinois, March 2, 1997
On March 2, 1997 at about 11:55 am local time, a Boeing 757-2Q8, registered N755AT, was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 4 people were seriously injured and 18 people had minor injuries; 180 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1997 · about 11:55 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 18 people had minor injuries; 180 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-2Q8 · all 757-2Q8s on the register
- Registration
- N755AT · no longer on the register · serial 24965
- 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 flight crew had checked weather for the intended flight from Durango, Mexico, to Chicago, Illinois, including a briefing from an arriving pilot who warned of light to moderate turbulence. The airplane encountered clear air turbulence while descending from 26,000 feet to 20,000 feet which was described as severe. When the turbulence was encountered the flight crew and a flight attendant made an announcement for the passengers to return to their seats and shortly after that, the 'Fasten Seatbelt' sign was turned on. Two of the passengers sustaining serious injuries were occupying the lavatory at the time of the turbulence encounter.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 13,500 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 806 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 256,000 lb
- Seats: 220
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW 2040 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DGO Durango at 9:35 am
- Destination: ORD IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from ORD, 120 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 4 | 14 | 176 |
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.