On December 14, 1989, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31 (registration N8969E) was involved in an aviation accident near Chicago, IL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Loss of braking effectiveness on a contaminated runway surface during snowstorm operations, leading to an overrun. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a snowstorm, an aircraft lost all braking while attempting to turn off the runway after taxiing on deteriorating surface conditions.
What happened
A significant snow storm was actively occurring, accompanied by ongoing snow removal operations at the airport. The crew initially reported that braking action was fair to good for the first two-thirds of the runway. However, as they approached the departure end, the conditions deteriorated rapidly to nil.
While attempting to turn off the runway, the aircraft experienced a complete loss of braking capability. Without effective deceleration, the aircraft skidded past the end of the paved surface. It continued forward until it collided with a blast fence and a localizer antenna located beyond the runway threshold.
The investigation
Investigation into the surface conditions revealed that the last third of the runway had been sanded approximately one hour prior to the incident. Despite this treatment, the braking action in that specific section was reported as nil by the crew during their taxi.
Probable cause
Loss of braking effectiveness on a contaminated runway surface during snowstorm operations, leading to an overrun.