December 8 Incidents
On December 8, 1972, United Airlines Flight 553, a Boeing 737-200, crashed into a residential area outside Midway during landing. The crash of the 737-200 killed 43 of the 61 on board, and two on the ground.
Exactly 33 years later, on December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines Flight 1248, a Boeing 737-700 inbound from Baltimore-Washington International Airport in Baltimore, Maryland, slid off the runway while attempting to land at the airport in a heavy snow storm. The airplane broke through the barrier fence of the airport, and came to rest at the intersection of 55th Street and Central Avenue bordering the airport at its northwest corner. A 6-year-old boy was killed as a passenger in a vehicle that was struck by the plane after it skidded into the street.
| Date | Registration | Aircraft | Carrier | Location | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1936 | NC14979 | DC-2 | Trans World Airlines | - | On approach to 27L, 1 engine out, strong gusts, crashed half a mile east of field |
| December 4, 1940 | NC25678 | DC-3A | United Airlines | 6356 S. Keating Ave. | Pilot lost sight in bad weather and crashed on landing approach resulting in nine deaths. |
| May 21, 1943 | B-24 | US ARMY | 3625 W. 73rd St. | On approach, disoriented in bad weather, hit huge gas storage tank 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast | |
| September 26, 1946 | NC19939 | DC-3 | Trans World Airlines | West of 96th Ave. at 97th St. | Midair collision with Boeing PT-17, DC-3 limped in to Midway |
| July 2, 1946 | NC28383 | DC-3 | Trans World Airlines | - | Crashed 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of field |
| March 10, 1948 | NC37478 | DC-4 | Delta Air Lines | 5000 W. 55th St. | Plane took off 36L, at 150 feet (46 m) went vertical, at 500 feet (150 m) nosed over, crashed on 55th St. |
| March 26, 1949 | NC90736 | DC-6 | American Airlines | - | Hit power lines on approach |
| December 18, 1949 | NC86501 | L-049 | Trans World Airlines | - | Landing too far down 13R, crashed through fence, ended up at 63rd and Cicero |
| January 4, 1951 | N79982 | C-46 | Monarch Airlines | - | Overloaded taking off on 31L, could not climb, crashed on railroad tracks one half mile northeast |
| September 16, 1951 | N74689 | C-46 | Peninsula Transport | - | Belly-landed 500 yards (460 m) away at northeast 63rd and Harlem |
| March 3, 1953 | N6214C | L-1049 | Eastern Airlines | On field | Landed on 31L, gear collapsed, skidded southwest toward Hale School |
| July 17, 1955 | N3422 | Convair 340 | Braniff International Airways | On field | Hit gas station sign on approach to 13R, flipped over, crashed |
| August 5, 1955 | N74601 | Boeing 377 | Northwest Airlines | - | Landed 31L, could not stop, crashed through fence at 55th and Central |
| February 20, 1956 | N7404 | Vickers Viscount | Capitol | On field | Landing on 31L, plane flopped in 300 feet (91 m) short of threshold |
| March 15, 1959 | N94273 | Convair 240 | American Airlines | - | Lost sight of 31L on approach, crashed in railroad yard one half mile south of field |
| November 24, 1959 | N102R | L-1049H | Trans World Airlines | Came to rest 63rd and Kilpatrick | Plane departed 31L, fire on #2, circled to land 31L, crashed 0.2 miles (0.32 km) southeast of field |
| September 1, 1961 | N86511 | L-049 | Trans World Airlines | - | Plane departed Midway, lost elevator bolt, crashed near Hinsdale, Illinois |
| December 8, 1972 | N9031U | 737-200 | United Airlines | 71st and Springfield | Aircraft descended too low on approach to 31L and struck houses, crashed 1.25 miles (2.01 km) southeast of airport |
| March 25, 1976 | N1EM | Lockheed Jetstar | Executive | On field | Pilot unfamiliar with plane attempted take off 13R, never airborne, crashed into fence 63rd and Cicero |
| August 6, 1976 | N9446Z | TB-25N | Air Chicago | 61st and Moody Avenue | Poor maintenance, plane took off 4L, lost engine 2, crashed 0.4 miles (0.64 km) west of field |
| December 8, 2005 | N471WN | 737-700 | Southwest Airlines | 55th & Central | Landed 31C during snowstorm, crashed through fence, hit 2 cars, killed child in car, 55th and Central |
INFORMATION SOURCED FROM: Civil Aeronautics Board archives, NTSB records.
NOTE: The runway now designated 13C/31C was designated 13R/31L until 1989, when a new Runway 13R/31L was built. Runways 27L and 36L have been closed since the 1970s.
Read more about this topic: Chicago Midway International Airport, Controversies
Famous quotes containing the words december and/or incidents:
“Work—work—work,
In the dull December light,
And work—work—work,
When the weather is warm and bright—
While underneath the eaves
The brooding swallows cling
As if to show me their sunny backs
And twit me with the spring.”
—Thomas Hood (1799–1845)
“An element of exaggeration clings to the popular judgment: great vices are made greater, great virtues greater also; interesting incidents are made more interesting, softer legends more soft.”
—Walter Bagehot (1826–1877)