What happened
During a pushback operation from the gate, a tug was maneuvering an aircraft when its wheels became trapped in a snow bank. The accumulation of snow, which measured between 12 and 16 inches from both the ramp and the service road, prevented the vehicle from maintaining proper movement.
As the vehicle struggled, the tow bar shear pin—a component specifically designed to fracture under excessive mechanical loads—snapped in half. This failure caused the tug to strike the aircraft, resulting in a broken windshield and damage to the aircraft's radome and the forward pressure bulkhead. No injuries were reported during the incident.
Findings
An investigation into the event noted that the snow bank had been allowed to accrue in the path of the pushback rather than being removed. While airport operations personnel are responsible for snow removal, this specific area remained unplowed, leading to the entrapment of the tug and the subsequent mechanical failure of the tow bar connection.