Cessna 208 accident near Chicago, Illinois, July 4, 2018
On July 4, 2018 at about 12:23 pm local time, a 2006 Cessna 208, registered N208EE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chicago, Illinois (Chicago O'Hare Intl airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The service truck driver’s evasive maneuver to avoid a bag cart tug, which resulted in the truck impacting a parked airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2018 · about 12:23 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · Chicago O'Hare Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 208 B, built 2006 · all 208s on the register
- Registration
- N208EE · registry record · serial 208B1213
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The manager of regulatory compliance for the operator reported that a service truck had impacted the airplane, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. He added that the first officer was on the ground and that the captain was in the terminal at the time of impact. The Federal Aviation Administrator (FAA) inspector reported that the flight crew reported that the captain was on-board the airplane and that the first officer was on the ground at the time of impact. The airplane was scheduled to depart in 1 hour, and they were preparing to fuel the airplane. The FAA inspector added that the service truck driver reported that he was crossing the taxiway on the zipper road, and as he approached the main terminal road, a bag cart tug pulled out in front of him, causing him to swerve into the parked airplane. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The manager reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- 100200 during abrupt maneuver
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › (general) › Ground crew
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Ground crew
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land, none, APLN, none
- Flight time: 1,506 hours in all; 1,211 in this make and model; 261 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 536 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 7, 2018
- Medical certificate: class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,800 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 27, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 8,752 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-114A (turboprop); 8,111 hours total
- Operator: Multi-Aero INC
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: IWD Ironwood MI at 9:20 am
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°C, dew point 73°C
- Altimeter: 30.219999 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from KORD, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 GAA18CA409.