Narrative:

Captain was making takeoff from 32L at T10. Tower cleared us for takeoff with a turn to 330 degrees. Takeoff was normal until I noticed a 757 on short final for 9L at our 10:30 position. We were between 100-120 knots at the time. Our V1 was 137 and our vr was 139. Captain elected to continue takeoff roll but to delay rotation until we were beyond the 757's flight path. We did not notice any change in 757 flight path towards 9L. Once we had cleared the 757's flight path the captain rotated at about 170 knots with about 2000 ft of runway remaining. Rest of climb out/cleanup was uneventful and tower handed us off to departure. I think that our delayed rotation and continued acceleration probably kept us in front of the arriving 757 but had we rotated normally we would have come very close to a collision. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the aircraft were being controlled by separate ATCT local controllers on separate frequencies. The departing aircraft was held in position waiting for wake turbulence separation from a preceding heavy aircraft departure. Neither aircraft was advised of the other. The arriving aircraft was given his landing clearance approximately 10 miles out on final. He was receiving priority handling due to a medical emergency. His runway assignment was for expedited handling to his terminal. It was not in use by other landing traffic. There was no operational reason with the aircraft that would prevent him from executing go around. During after the fact conference with tower supervision by one of the crews, it was reported that the controller of the takeoff runway called for the other controller to send the landing aircraft around. His request was denied/overridden by tower supervision who thought it 'looks bad but would work out.' when the other crew conferred with tower they were told that 'it was ugly but it looked like it would work out.' supplemental information from acn 515087: after takeoff clearance received takeoff roll was normal until the 9L 757 was seen on short final. To avoid climbing into his flight path I did not rotate at vr but continued to roll down the runway crossing under him on the extended 9L centerline. My vr was 139 -- I rotated about 170 with approximately 2000 ft of 32L remaining. My thoughts at the time were: if I rotate I will hit him. I'm too fast to abort. Will he see me and go around? Will he pass over me safely? Do I have enough room to rotate before the end of the 32L runway ends? Supplemental information from acn 515192: on short final to 9L an MD80 passed approximately under us as he was making his takeoff from 32L. We were given ATC priority handling into ord because of a medical emergency. The timing of the 32L departure was a little off which resulted in the MD80 being approximately under our flight path while on his takeoff role. Aggressive controlling might have been or miscommunication between tower controllers. I don't feel it was unsafe, but a little closer than it should have been. I was the captain of the flight and the pilot flying. I don't believe that either I, the first officer, or the FAA inspector on the jump seat saw the MD80 until we were basically passing over him. I don't know if the other airplane saw us or not. Nothing was said on the tower frequency. We were given taxi clearance to our gate by tower so we were on the frequency for awhile. We had a female passenger with abdominal pain and had arranged for emt's to meet us at our gate. We had been working this problem for 2-3 hours and had been in contact with our dispatch, company doctor, and ATC regarding this situation. A doctor and nurse on board were attending to the lady. Dispatch, through our ATC coordination had arranged for priority handling into O'hare.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR PASSED APPROX 200 FT OVER ANOTHER ACR AS HE WAS LNDG ON A RWY WHOSE APCH PATH EXTENDED OVER THE RWY THAT WAS BEING USED FOR DEPARTURES.

Narrative: CAPT WAS MAKING TKOF FROM 32L AT T10. TWR CLRED US FOR TKOF WITH A TURN TO 330 DEGS. TKOF WAS NORMAL UNTIL I NOTICED A 757 ON SHORT FINAL FOR 9L AT OUR 10:30 POS. WE WERE BTWN 100-120 KNOTS AT THE TIME. OUR V1 WAS 137 AND OUR VR WAS 139. CAPT ELECTED TO CONTINUE TKOF ROLL BUT TO DELAY ROTATION UNTIL WE WERE BEYOND THE 757'S FLT PATH. WE DID NOT NOTICE ANY CHANGE IN 757 FLT PATH TOWARDS 9L. ONCE WE HAD CLRED THE 757'S FLT PATH THE CAPT ROTATED AT ABOUT 170 KNOTS WITH ABOUT 2000 FT OF RWY REMAINING. REST OF CLIMB OUT/CLEANUP WAS UNEVENTFUL AND TWR HANDED US OFF TO DEP. I THINK THAT OUR DELAYED ROTATION AND CONTINUED ACCELERATION PROBABLY KEPT US IN FRONT OF THE ARRIVING 757 BUT HAD WE ROTATED NORMALLY WE WOULD HAVE COME VERY CLOSE TO A COLLISION. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE ACFT WERE BEING CONTROLLED BY SEPARATE ATCT LOCAL CTLRS ON SEPARATE FREQUENCIES. THE DEPARTING ACFT WAS HELD IN POS WAITING FOR WAKE TURB SEPARATION FROM A PRECEDING HEAVY ACFT DEP. NEITHER ACFT WAS ADVISED OF THE OTHER. THE ARRIVING ACFT WAS GIVEN HIS LNDG CLRNC APPROX 10 MILES OUT ON FINAL. HE WAS RECEIVING PRIORITY HANDLING DUE TO A MEDICAL EMER. HIS RWY ASSIGNMENT WAS FOR EXPEDITED HANDLING TO HIS TERMINAL. IT WAS NOT IN USE BY OTHER LNDG TFC. THERE WAS NO OPERATIONAL REASON WITH THE ACFT THAT WOULD PREVENT HIM FROM EXECUTING GAR. DURING AFTER THE FACT CONFERENCE WITH TWR SUPERVISION BY ONE OF THE CREWS, IT WAS RPTED THAT THE CTLR OF THE TKOF RWY CALLED FOR THE OTHER CTLR TO SEND THE LNDG ACFT AROUND. HIS REQUEST WAS DENIED/OVERRIDDEN BY TWR SUPERVISION WHO THOUGHT IT 'LOOKS BAD BUT WOULD WORK OUT.' WHEN THE OTHER CREW CONFERRED WITH TWR THEY WERE TOLD THAT 'IT WAS UGLY BUT IT LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD WORK OUT.' SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 515087: AFTER TKOF CLRNC RECEIVED TKOF ROLL WAS NORMAL UNTIL THE 9L 757 WAS SEEN ON SHORT FINAL. TO AVOID CLBING INTO HIS FLT PATH I DID NOT ROTATE AT VR BUT CONTINUED TO ROLL DOWN THE RWY XING UNDER HIM ON THE EXTENDED 9L CENTERLINE. MY VR WAS 139 -- I ROTATED ABOUT 170 WITH APPROX 2000 FT OF 32L REMAINING. MY THOUGHTS AT THE TIME WERE: IF I ROTATE I WILL HIT HIM. I'M TOO FAST TO ABORT. WILL HE SEE ME AND GAR? WILL HE PASS OVER ME SAFELY? DO I HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO ROTATE BEFORE THE END OF THE 32L RWY ENDS? SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 515192: ON SHORT FINAL TO 9L AN MD80 PASSED APPROX UNDER US AS HE WAS MAKING HIS TKOF FROM 32L. WE WERE GIVEN ATC PRIORITY HANDLING INTO ORD BECAUSE OF A MEDICAL EMER. THE TIMING OF THE 32L DEP WAS A LITTLE OFF WHICH RESULTED IN THE MD80 BEING APPROX UNDER OUR FLT PATH WHILE ON HIS TKOF ROLE. AGGRESSIVE CONTROLLING MIGHT HAVE BEEN OR MISCOMMUNICATION BTWN TWR CTLRS. I DON'T FEEL IT WAS UNSAFE, BUT A LITTLE CLOSER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I WAS THE CAPT OF THE FLT AND THE PLT FLYING. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT EITHER I, THE FO, OR THE FAA INSPECTOR ON THE JUMP SEAT SAW THE MD80 UNTIL WE WERE BASICALLY PASSING OVER HIM. I DON'T KNOW IF THE OTHER AIRPLANE SAW US OR NOT. NOTHING WAS SAID ON THE TWR FREQ. WE WERE GIVEN TAXI CLRNC TO OUR GATE BY TWR SO WE WERE ON THE FREQ FOR AWHILE. WE HAD A FEMALE PAX WITH ABDOMINAL PAIN AND HAD ARRANGED FOR EMT'S TO MEET US AT OUR GATE. WE HAD BEEN WORKING THIS PROB FOR 2-3 HRS AND HAD BEEN IN CONTACT WITH OUR DISPATCH, COMPANY DOCTOR, AND ATC REGARDING THIS SIT. A DOCTOR AND NURSE ON BOARD WERE ATTENDING TO THE LADY. DISPATCH, THROUGH OUR ATC COORDINATION HAD ARRANGED FOR PRIORITY HANDLING INTO O'HARE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.