Near Miss Involving British Airways Flight 296 and United Airlines Flight 243 at Chicago O'Hare (GAWNM)

Incident Overview and Clearance Details British Airways Flight 296 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 32R with instructions to make a right turn to a heading of 070 degrees. Forty-nine seconds later, United Airlines Flight 243 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 4L with instructions to make a left turn to a heading of 320 degrees. The North Local Controller at the Chicago O'Hare Air Traffic Control Tower issued several heading and altitude changes to United Airlines Flight 243 until the courses of the two airplanes diverged. The minimum lateral separation required between two heavy airplanes in the Chicago terminal area is four miles. The pilot of United Airlines Flight 243 estimated the minimum separation between the two airplanes was 300 feet vertically and one mile horizontally. The air traffic control tower was staffed with two local controllers, a relieving North Local Controller, a local control monitor, an area supervisor, and an area manager. The traffic was described as 'fairly busy' and the configuration as 'complex' but not abnormal for the O'Hare air traffic control tower.