Cessna 172G accident near Chicago, Illinois, September 22, 1997
On September 22, 1997, a Cessna 172G, registered N4375L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's selection of the wrong taxi route (service road) and not maintaining clearance between his airplane's wing and a bus.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 1997
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172G · all 172Gs on the register
- Registration
- N4375L · no longer on the register · serial 17254452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing, the pilot was instructed to turn onto a specific taxiway. The pilot turned onto a service road an airline crew bus was using. Shortly after turning, the airplane's left wingtip collided with the left rear side window of the bus. According to the pilot, the bus had turned to its right as the airplane approached it. The on-scene investigation revealed a bent and cracked rear wing spar and buckled upper wing skin aft of the left wing fuel tank.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 540 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 476 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 30, 1997; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDW IL at 11:35 pm
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from ORD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.