On December 27, 2000, a Boeing 767-300ER (registration N155DL) was involved in an aviation accident near Boston, MA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The vehicle driver's improper decision to pass behind an aircraft with operating engines, which resulted in an encounter with jet blast. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 5 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Aircraft registered N155DL. Photo: redlegsfan21 from Vandalia, OH, United States / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
While taxiing to the gate, a commercial aircraft's jet blast blew over a ramp serviceman and an empty container being towed, causing head injuries.
Incident Details
The flightcrew was taxiing the airplane toward the gate when they stopped to await a required third wingwalker. During the pause, several ground vehicles traversed behind the aircraft along a vehicle service road. Upon the arrival of the third wingwalker, a ramp serviceman was operating a tug on the same service road. As the tug passed behind the airplane, the flightcrew resumed taxiing toward the gate. The resulting jet blast displaced an empty container that the tug was towing. In the attempt to recover the container, the ramp serviceman was also knocked to the ground by the blast.
Injuries and Regulations
The serviceman sustained head injuries and was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. Local port authority regulations explicitly prohibited ground vehicles from operating behind an aircraft with its engines running. However, the port authority did not issue any citations to the serviceman for violating this rule.
