What happened
On the taxiway at Chicago-O'Hare Airport, a collision occurred between two commercial aircraft during ground operations. The first aircraft, a Convair 880 operating as flight DL954 from Tampa, had completed its landing and was instructed by air traffic control to proceed to its gate and cross runway 27L. While the Convair was in the process of crossing, it was struck by a North Central Airlines Douglas DC-9-31, registration N954N, which was preparing for departure toward Duluth via Madison.
The impact occurred when one of the wings of the Douglas DC-9-31 collided with the tail section of the Convair. Following the contact, the Convair came to an immediate halt. The Douglas DC-9-31 lost control and veered off the runway, where a post-crash fire erupted. The fire resulted in the total destruction of the DC-9. The Convair sustained damage that rendered it beyond repair.
The collision resulted in significant casualties across both aircraft. On the Convair 880, there were 10 injuries among the 93 people on board. On the North Central Airlines flight, the accident resulted in 10 fatalities and 35 injuries, with several passengers sustaining serious harm.
Findings
Investigations into the collision identified a breakdown in air traffic control procedures during a period of limited visibility. The primary factor was the failure of the air traffic control system to maintain proper separation between the two aircraft. Specific contributing elements included an ambiguous instruction from the controller, where a critical word was omitted during communication with the Convair crew. Additionally, the controller failed to utilize all available data to track the position of the Convair 880, and the flight crew of the Convair did not seek further clarification regarding the instructions provided.