Boeing 737 7H4 accident near Chicago, Illinois, October 2, 2017
On October 2, 2017 at about 1:40 pm local time, a 2009 Boeing 737 7H4, registered N930WN, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago Midway International A airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 84 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the mechanical failure of the tugs fuel governor, which made it difficult for the ramp agent to stop the tug. Contributing to the accident was the lack of guidance on how ground personnel were to handle vehicle malfunctions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 2017 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago Midway International A · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 84 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7H4 7H4, built 2009 · all 737 7H4s on the register
- Registration
- N930WN · registry record · serial 36636
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 2, 2017, at about 0840 CDT, Southwest Airlines flight 681, Boeing B737-700, N930WN, was struck by an unmanned tug while boarding was ongoing at Chicago Midway Airport (KMDW), Chicago, Illinois. There were no injuries to the 84 passengers and crew onboard. The airplane received substantial damage to the lower fuselage skin, frames and stringers over an area about 3 feet by 3 feet. The flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 121 as a scheduled passenger flight from KMDW to Omaha Airport (KOMA), Omaha, Nebraska. A ramp agent was driving a covered baggage tug with two baggage carts in tow between Gates B22 and B24 when the tug made contact with two staged baggage carts. The ramp agent jumped off the tug as the tug continued to accelerate forward. The now unmanned baggage tug struck additional ground support equipment before striking the fuselage of the accident airplane at Gate B22. The ramp agent stated afterwards that he could not get the tug to stop and thought running the tug into the staged baggage carts would stop or at least slow the tug down. Examination of the baggage tug after the event revealed there was a mechanical failure of the fuel governor which resulted in the runaway. The runaway could have been stopped by either turning the ignition key off or using the manual shut down lever on the front cover. There was no guidance in the Ground Operations Training Manual related to how ramp personnel should handle mechanical failures of ground support equipment.
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
What happened, in order
- Ground handling event during prior to flight defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Loading › (general) › Not serviced/maintained
- factor Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Training › Initial training › Training organization
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30,104 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, September 27, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- Seats: 151
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm International CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm International CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: KMDW Chicago IL at 1:55 pm
- Destination: KOMA Omaha NE
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KMDW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 79 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA18CA001.