Boeing 737-222 accident near Chicago, Illinois, May 6, 1999
On May 6, 1999 at about 3:20 am local time, a Boeing 737-222, registered N208AU, 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; 47 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight attendants did not follow the cockpit crews instructions to be seated because of expected turbulence. A factor associated with the accident was the turbulence encountered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 1999 · about 3:20 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 47 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-222 · all 737-222s on the register
- Registration
- N208AU · no longer on the register · serial 19547
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Flight 432 encountered about 30 seconds of moderate turbulence while deviating around weather cells during a descent from 17,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The seat belt sign was on and the flight attendants were instructed to be seated prior to the encounter. The 'A' flight attendant in the front of the airplane was able to get to her jumpseat. The 'B' and 'C' flight attendants in the back of the airplane were not seated and both were thrown to the ceiling during the encounter. The 'B' flight attendant suffered a cut and bruises. The 'C' flight attendant who landed on the floor suffered a broken pelvis.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,658 hours in all; 1,240 in this make and model; 189 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 2,477 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 123
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Vanguard Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MSP Minneapolis MN at 2:08 am
- Destination: MDW IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 43 |
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 N208AU 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.