Casualties unknown

Ground Collision During Taxi After Cargo Loading (N954AS)

Anchorage, AK, US

On December 6, 1996, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-80 (registration N954AS) was involved in an aviation accident near Anchorage, AK. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The ground crew's failure to maintain communication with the flight crew while loading cargo after pushback and engine start, and the ground and flightcrew's failure to follow the procedure outlined in their manuals concerning use of marshallers during… This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 2026-06-10Data APIEditorial standards

During taxi, the right wing of a parked aircraft struck a tug that was positioned in front of the wing after loading additional cargo. The ground marshaller did not alert the flight crew as required by manuals.

Sequence of Events

The airplane was pushed back from the gate, the tug was disconnected, and the engines were started. The pushback tug drove away to the gate. Another tug, towing a baggage cart with three pieces of late cargo, drove up to the mid cargo compartment on the right side of the airplane. The baggage tug driver and the right side wing walker began to load the cargo into the mid-section cargo compartment. One piece of cargo would not fit, so they began to carry it to the forward cargo compartment. The left side wing walker, who had been standing in front of the airplane and was considered to be the marshaller, walked to the forward cargo bin, opened the door, and began to assist in the loading.

While the loading was in progress, the airplane began taxiing. The right wing struck the tug, which had parked in front of the right wing.

Procedural Deviations

The ground marshaller did not give a wave-off to the flight crew, nor did he alert the flight crew that additional cargo was to be loaded, as required by the flight operations manual and the customer services manual. Furthermore, the flight crew did not receive nor did they give a salute to anyone, and they did not use their nose wheel taxi light to signal anyone, as stated in their flight operations manual.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001208X07122. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.