Aerospatiale ATR-42-300 accident near Chicago, Illinois, August 14, 1999
On August 14, 1999 at about 3:14 am local time, a Aerospatiale ATR-42-300, registered N282AT, was involved in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare Int'L Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 23 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the ramp service clerk to maintain clearance with the operating propeller. A factor related to the accident the inattentiveness on the part of the clerk.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1999 · about 3:14 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare Int'L Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 23 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR-42-300
- Registration
- N282AT · registry record · serial 282
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Aerospatiale ATR-42 was parked at gate G-16 at the O'Hare International Airport when a ramp service clerk walked into the right propeller. The left engine was shut down at the time and the right engine was operating. The clerk received nine stitches to his head and a broken collar bone. Aircraft wing lights and ramp lights were illuminated at the time. Headlights from vehicles parked on the ramp were also illuminating the right side of the airplane. The clerk was hired approximately 2 months prior to the accident. According to company records, he had received training regarding propeller awareness and the hazards of working around propeller driven aircraft.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 40,000 lb
- Seats: 49
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW 120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Eagle Airlines, INC
The flight
- Departed from: LAN Lansing MI at 2:47 am
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 20 |
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.