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Atlas / NTSB / CHI91FA152

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event CHI91FA152

1991-05-11 CHICAGO, Illinois, United States Airport · ORD None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE FAILURE OF THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING HYDRAULIC LINE DURING AFTER LANDING GROUND OPERATIONS. A RELATED FACTOR IS THE MANUFACTURER'S INADEQUATE INSPECTION AND/OR REPLACEMENT STANDARDS.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT REPORTED THAT DURING POST LANDING TAXI OPERATIONS, HE WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE AIRPLANE OR APPLY NORMAL BRAKES. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED THE TAXIWAY, AND RAN ACROSS A GRASS MEDIAN AND SERVICE ROAD BEFORE IT IMPACTED A LIGHT POLE AND CAME TO A STOP. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A FAILED NOSEWHEEL STEERING HYDRAULIC LINE, WHICH ALLOWED SYSTEM FLUID TO BE PORTED OVERBOARD INTO THE NOSE WHEELWELL. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED THE LINE FAILED AS A RESULT OF A PUNCTURE OF THE INTERNAL HOSE BY THE WORN/FRAYED OUTER BRAID. RECORDS INDICATE THE FAILED LINE WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND HAD OPERATED THROUGH 17,969 HOURS AND 21,324 CYCLES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_CHI91FA152.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.