CHI90IA044

1989-12-13 · CHICAGO, Illinois, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MDW

Aircraft involved

N8969E McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 None

Probable cause & findings

INADEQUATE SNOW REMOVAL BY AIRPORT PERSONNEL.

Factual narrative

A SNOW STORM & SNOW REMOVAL OPERATIONS WERE IN PROGRESS. CREW REPORTED BRAKING ACTION FAIR-TO-GOOD FIRST 2/3 OF RWY BUT DETERIORATING TO NIL APPROACHING DEPARTURE END. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF RWY ALL BRAKING WAS LOST & AIRCRAFT SKIDDED OFF DEPARTURE END COLLIDING WITH BLAST FENCE AND LOCALIZER ANTENNA. THE LAST 1/3 OF THE RWY HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY SANDED ABOUT 1 HOUR PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_CHI90IA044.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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