Boeing 737 accident near Chicago, Illinois, December 3, 2018
On December 3, 2018 at about 4:35 pm local time, a 2011 Boeing 737, registered N868NN, was involved in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare Int'L airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 146 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an object which fell from an overhead bin struck a flight attendant resulting in a serious injury.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 2018 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 146 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 823, built 2011 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N868NN · registry record · serial 40763
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 3, 2018, about 10:35 central standard time, American Airlines flight 114, a Boeing 737-800, N868NN, was taxiing from the gate at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago, Illinois, when a flight attendant was injured when an object fell onto from an overhead bin. The remaining passengers and crew were not injured, and the airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from ORD, to LaGuardia Airport (LGA), East Elmhurst, New York. According to the operator, while taxiing for takeoff, a flight attendant opened an overhead bin, and a laptop fell out, striking her in the eye and forcing her left eye out of the socket. The flight returned to the gate and the flight attendant was transported to a hospital.
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
- Cabin safety event during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Cabin crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,710 hours in all; 1,039 in this make and model; 14,801 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 28, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,000 hours in all; 8,345 in this make and model; 8,026 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 174,200 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm 56-7B-7B3 (turbofan); 24,331 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm 56-7B-7B3 (turbofan); 24,045 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: KORF Chicago IL at 4:30 pm
- Destination: KLGA East Elmhurst NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 3 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 141 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 25, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 Updated | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.