What happened
During the debarkation process, the aircraft was chocked with the left engine secured and the right engine still running. The seat belt sign had been deactivated, and passengers were standing in preparation to exit the plane.
A belt loader initially came to a stop approximately 10 feet away from the aircraft. It then accelerated toward the cargo door area at a high rate of speed. As the vehicle approached, the operator jumped from the loader to avoid a collision. During the incident, the vertical fin of the belt loader sliced through the underside of the airplane.
The operator reported that while attempting to move the belt loader closer to the aircraft, he first moved the control stick to the forward position. When the vehicle failed to move immediately, he applied the accelerator, causing the sudden forward movement toward the aircraft.
The investigation
An examination of the belt loader following the accident revealed no mechanical discrepancies in its operation.