Incident Description
A headset operator was run over by the nose wheel of an aircraft during pushback. According to ground witnesses, the operator became distracted for reasons that could not be determined. They stated that the operator failed to maintain a position at least 10 feet from the airplane's nose wheel, a requirement set by the employer. The operator was in charge of the pushback at the time of the incident.
Background
The headset operator had been hired and completed the operator's course on ramp safety and pushback instruction in the previous month. This was his first unsupervised experience in the role. The airline had a procedure requiring the headset operator to communicate with the flight deck via a communications cord plugged into the airplane's nose gear strut. The airline had previously experienced a similar ground accident in 1989, when one of its Boeing 757 aircraft overran a headset operator. In April 1994, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) alerted the operator to headset pushback accidents following the issuance of Safety Board Recommendation A-93-55.
Post-Accident Actions
Following this accident, the airline changed its ground handling equipment and procedures. The modifications were designed to eliminate the necessity for a headset operator to walk in the proximity of any aircraft nose wheel.