Narrative:Air China Flight 9018, a Boeing 747 freighter, had just arrived at Chicago following a flight from New York and was cleared to turn off runway 14R via a right turn on taxiway Tango 10, a left turn on taxiway Kilo, and to cross runway 27L to the cargo ramp. The controller cleared Korean Air flight 36 (a passenger service to Seoul) for takeoff as the Air China flight was clearing the runway. The Air China flight made the right turn onto Tango 10 then made a left turn onto taxiway Mike instead of Kilo. The Air China flight entered onto runway 14R as the Korean Air Boeing 747-400 was taking off. The Korean Air flight crossed 25 to 50 feet over the top of the Air China flight.
Sources:
» NTSB
Photos
Video/animation
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL to Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport as the crow flies is 10425 km (6515 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.