Date:	Wednesday 20 December 1972
Time:	18:00
Type:	McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31
Owner/operator:	North Central Airlines
Registration:	N954N
MSN:	47159/231
Year of manufacture:	1968
Total airframe hrs:	11812 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 45
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD) -   United States of America
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD/KORD)
Destination airport:	Madison Regional Airport, WI (MSN/KMSN)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A Delta Air Lines Convair CV-880 (N8807E) taxied across runway 27L in bad weather (250 feet visibility in fog, indefinite ceiling at 200 feet). At the same time, a North Central DC-9 (N954N) took off from runway 27L. Both aircraft collided.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The failure of the air traffic control system to ensure separation of aircraft during a period of restricted visibility. This failure included the following: (1) the controller omitted a critical word which made his transmission to the flight crew of the Delta CV-880 ambiguous; (2) the controller did not use all the available information to determine the location of the CV-880; and (3) the CV-880 flight crew did not request clarification of the controller's communications"

ICAO Circular 132-AN/93 (27-36)
NTSB/AAR-73/15

photo (c) Bob Garrard; Columbus-Port Columbus International Airport, OH (CMH/KCMH); March 1970

photo (c) Eric W Jackson; Marquette-Sawyer International Airport, MI (MQT/KSAW)

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