FlarePath
Cases › DCA09FA011 · Part 121 airline

BOMBARDIER INC CL-600-2B19Pinnacle Airlines, Inc

Detroit, MI, USA · 2008-11-13·N8698A

0
fatal
0
serious
Minor injury
highest injury
Substantial
damage
Replay the flight data1,687 samples · 18 parametersSRN 429,940 – SRN 430,011AnalyseThe analystOne timeline · precedents · ask the docket · what the record saysGenerateInvestigation briefFacts, cause, recorder extremes, sequence, sourcesSourceNTSB docket10 documents on data.ntsb.gov

What happened

NTSB summary, verbatim

On November 14, 2008, a Bombardier CL-600-2B19 was involved in a collision during taxi with a ground tug with a small luggage cart attached. The tug driver received minor injuries but none of the 17 passengers, two pilots and 1 flight attendant were injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The weather at the time included a visibility of 4 miles in fog. It was dark with light rain at the time of the accident. The ramp agent driving the tug stated that the left side curtain of his tug was open and the right side was covered with a fabric zip-on cover with a clear plastic panel for a window. He had his windshield wipers on. He did not see any aircraft prior to the collision. As he proceeded across an intersecting taxiway, he heard airplane engines nearby, and was surprised. He remembered seeing a glimpse of an airplane fuselage immediately before hearing a loud "crunch" noise prior to impacting the airplane.

Probable cause

the Board's determination
The lack of vigilance on the part of the ramp agent driving the baggage tug. Contributing factors include the night conditions, and low visibility due to fog and rain.

Occurrence sequence

1 stepsNTSB coding · CICTT taxonomy
  1. 1 · Taxi
    Ground collision
    defining event

Findings

4 causal · 0 contributing
  • CAUSE
    Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark — Contributed to outcome
  • CAUSE
    Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Fog — Contributed to outcome
  • CAUSE
    Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Rain — Contributed to outcome
  • CAUSE
    Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance — Airport personnel

Sequence of events

3 timed eventsfrom the FDR factual report · claude-fable-5-1 (in-session)
  1. about 70 seconds after landingtaxip.3
    Start of the plot; aircraft moving on the ground at less than five knots
  2. onset of eventtaxip.3
    Jostling consistent with the aircraft striking the ground tug; maximum acceleration less than 0.4 g; the event lasted approximately four seconds; brakes applied just before, during and after
  3. about 8 seconds after onsettaxip.3
    Aircraft came to a halt

NTSB analysis

from the final report

On November 14, 2008, a Bombardier CL-600-2B19 was involved in a collision during taxi with a ground tug with a small luggage cart attached. The tug driver received minor injuries but none of the 17 passengers, two pilots and 1 flight attendant were injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The weather at the time included a visibility of 4 miles in fog. It was dark with light rain at the time of the accident. The ramp agent driving the tug stated that the left side curtain of his tug was open and the right side was covered with a fabric zip-on cover with a clear plastic panel for a window. He had his windshield wipers on. He did not see any aircraft prior to the collision. As he proceeded across an intersecting taxiway, he heard airplane engines nearby, and was surprised. He remembered seeing a glimpse of an airplane fuselage immediately before hearing a loud "crunch" noise prior to impacting the airplane.