Boeing 767-323 incident near Chicago, Illinois, June 29, 1999
On June 29, 1999 at about 10:17 pm local time, a Boeing 767-323, registered N384AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 186 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the parked aircraft while taxiing. A factor in the accident was the failure of ATC to issue a traffic advisory.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1999 · about 10:17 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 186 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-323 · all 767-323s on the register
- Registration
- N384AA · registry record · serial 26996
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An American Airlines, Boeing 767-323, Flight 80, collided with an American Airlines B-767-223, N328AA, which was stopped on the International Ramp at the Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Both airplanes received minor wing damage. N328AA was being repositioned by two mechanics from gate M-3 at the International Terminal to the domestic side of the airport. They received a push back clearance from the Inbound Ground Controller. The airplane was pushed back onto the ramp facing north and was waiting for traffic to clear before taxiing. Flight 80 was cleared by the Ground Metering Controller from gate K-19 to Runway 32R via the Bravo Taxiway. As flight 80 taxied north on Bravo, its right wing contacted the left wing of N328AA. The flight crew reported that they saw N328AA, but did not think the airplane was a factor. The left wing of N328AA and the right wing of Flight 80 were both over hanging a green painted 'grass' area on the ramp when the collision occurred. The fuselage of N328AA was on the movement side of the 'nonmovement area' and its left main gear was on the taxiway centerline. Flight 80 was facing north on the Bravo Taxiway with its nose gear approximately 3-feet left of the taxiway centerline. A 1993 letter regarding ramp control guidelines states, 'Due to the close proximity of the International gate positions M1-M3 to the Outer Taxiway [Bravo], only O'Hare ATCT [Air Traffic Control Tower] will issue clearance to and from these gate positions.' O'Hare ATCT personnel reported that even though they provide pushback clearances from gate M-3, they do not prevent other traffic from using taxiway Bravo when a pushback is in progress as they do with pushbacks from M-1 and M-2. Inspection of the international ramp area and interviews with ramp personnel revealed there is not sufficient ramp space to push back from gate M-3 and remain clear of the movement area, cross taxiways, and vehicle traffic lanes.
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: 1,203 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD
- Destination: STP Stockholm OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 173 |
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.