Airbus Industrie A320-211 incident near Chicago, Illinois, August 10, 1990
On August 10, 1990 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A320-211, registered N306US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 159 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT(S) ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO ROTATE TO AN EXCESSIVE NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, EITHER DURING A TAKEOFF OR LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1990 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 159 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A320-211 · all A320-211s on the register
- Registration
- N306US · no longer on the register · serial 60
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON AUGUST 17, 1990, AT APPROXIMATELY 1415 CDT, WHILE CONDUCTING A WALK AROUND INSPECTION IN PREPARATION FOR A DOMESTIC REVENUE FLIGHT, THE FIRST OFFICER DISCOVERED A FOUR FOOT SCRAPE ON THE AFT BELLY OF AIRBUS A320-211, N306US. THE TAIL STRIKE RENDERED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. NO CREW OR PASSENGERS REPORTED INJURIES. THE EXACT TIME AND PLACE OF THE EVENT WAS NOT VERIFIED. THE PREVIOUS FLIGHT WAS NORTHWEST FLIGHT 132, OPERATING FROM ST PAUL, MINNESOTA, TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS A PASSENGER REVENUE FLIGHT WITH NINE CREW AND 150 PASSENGERS.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 162,040 lb
- Seats: 182
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MSP St Paul MN
- Destination: ORD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:15 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 150 |
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.