Event Description
After the airplane was pushed back from the gate at night, a fuel truck traveling eastbound on the outer service road struck the left wing tip of the airplane, which overhung the road.
Driver Account
The fuel truck driver stated that he saw the airplane had been pushed off the gate and noticed the ground crew were in the process of unhooking. He observed the road was clear, then saw the tug swinging wide onto the service road and coming toward him. He said, '...I diverted my attention to the tug driver...In a split second as I made gesture to look back and then look back up I was struck in the head...'
Investigation Findings
The investigation revealed that US Airways had conducted a two-man pushback in accordance with their ground procedures manual. The manual did not require a safety person with illuminated wands to be present at the service road when a portion of the airplane covered the road. The Fokker F-100 was not equipped with rear side wing tip lights.