What happened
The incident involved Boeing 727 aircraft operating at a commercial airport gate area. The subject aircraft, identified as N6815, was positioned at gate H-3 and prepared for departure. Ground crew personnel initiated the pushback procedure to move the airplane out from the gate into the gate alley. As the ground crew maneuvered the aircraft to orient it for taxiing toward the runway, the horizontal stabilizer of N6815 made physical contact with the elevator surface of a different Boeing 727 that was parked at the adjacent gate H-1.
Prior to the start of the pushback operation, the flight crew aboard N6815 had received a release salute from the ground handling team. This signal typically indicates that the area is clear and the aircraft may proceed with movement. Despite this clearance, the lateral or vertical positioning during the turn resulted in the stabilizer striking the elevator of the neighboring parked aircraft.
The investigation
Examination of the incident focused on the spatial relationship between the two Boeing 727s and the geometry of the pushback maneuver. The investigation confirmed that the horizontal stabilizer of N6815 contacted the elevator of the adjacent aircraft. No further mechanical failures or system malfunctions were cited as contributing factors in the provided narrative.
Findings
The primary finding relates to the clearance and positioning during the ground movement phase. Although the flight crew received a release salute from the ground crew, indicating perceived safety for movement, the physical dimensions of the aircraft and the tight confines of the gate alley led to the collision. The contact occurred specifically between the horizontal stabilizer of the moving aircraft and the elevator of the stationary aircraft at gate H-1.