Incident Overview
A Burlington Express aircraft experienced an accident during cargo unloading after landing at an unspecified location. Four cargo technicians had boarded the airplane to begin downloading procedures. According to a statement from a Burlington Express representative, the cargo locks in the front belly were removed, and approximately 2,000 pounds of cargo were downloaded. While the technicians were unlocking cargo in the tail section, the airplane's tail settled.
Sequence of Events
The settling of the tail caused an unlocked pallet from the front belly to roll aft. One of the technicians was trapped by the pallet and sustained a serious injury to his foot. The aircraft itself suffered minor damage to the cargo door and an antenna.
Contributing Factors
The report noted that standard procedures for downloading the airplane were "possibly glazed over." A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who responded to the accident reported that the airplane was unloaded improperly. The Burlington training manual specifies that the airplane should be unloaded from the rear first, a procedure that was not followed in this incident.
Aftermath
The injured technician received medical attention for the serious foot injury. The aircraft was repaired for the minor damage sustained. No further details were provided regarding the technician's condition or the aircraft's return to service.