What happened
Following the landing of the aircraft, four cargo technicians boarded the plane to begin unloading procedures. The process began with the removal of cargo locks in the front belly, resulting in the download of approximately 2,000 pounds of cargo. While the technicians were in the process of unlocking cargo located in the tail, the airplane's tail settled.
During this movement, an unlocked pallet from the front belly rolled toward the rear of the aircraft. One technician was trapped by the moving pallet and sustained serious injury to his foot. The aircraft itself sustained minor damage to an antenna and the cargo door.
The investigation
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector investigated the incident and determined that the aircraft had been unloaded improperly. According to the Burlington training manual, the correct procedure for unloading this aircraft requires that the rear of the airplane be unloaded first.