On October 11, 1998, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 (registration N997DL) was involved in an aviation accident near Covington, KY. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The tug driver's failure to maintain a proper visual lookout. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
Aircraft registered N997DL. Photo: redlegsfan21 from Vandalia, OH, United States / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A baggage tug traveling at high speed struck the right side of an airplane during taxi, causing substantial damage. The tug driver had received 30 hours of training two months prior.
Incident Details
The airplane had pushed back from the gate and began to taxi when the crew observed a baggage tug approaching from the right side at a fairly high rate of speed. The tug driver was looking to his right and nowhere else. Without slowing down or changing direction, the tug impacted the right side of the airplane, resulting in substantial damage.
Training Background
Two months before the accident, the tug driver completed a total of 30 hours of training. The training topics included ramp and operation self-directed training, dangerous goods handling, basic ramp procedures, and driver training.
