Date: December 20th, 1972
Type: McDonnell Douglas DC- 9-31
Registration: N954N
Operator: North Central Airlines
Where: Chicago-O'Hare APT, IL (USA)
Report No.: NTSB/AAR-73/15
Report Date: -
Pages: -

This is not an accident investigation report.

A Delta Air Lines Convair CV-880 (N8807E) taxied across Runway 27L in bad weather (250ft visibility in fog, indefinite ceiling at 200ft). At the same time, a North Central DC-9 (N954N) took off from Runway 27L. Both aircraft collided. 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 flightcrew 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 flightcrew did not request clarification of the controller's communications" (NTSB/AAR-73/15)