What happened
During a scheduled domestic passenger flight, an aircraft was being pushed back for taxi when it collided with an unoccupied airplane parked on the ramp. The incident occurred under dark night visual meteorological conditions. All 32 occupants—consisting of 29 passengers, 2 flight crewmembers, and 1 cabin crewmember—were uninjured. Both aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The pushback operator reported that while attempting to align the front wheels with a painted line, he lost visual contact with the wing walker. The operator stated that as he approached the line, the wing walker had moved to his left and slightly behind him. Although the wing walker later indicated she had provided a stop signal, the operator could not see her due to her position and was unable to stop the movement before the collision occurred.
The investigation
An examination of the airline's Station Operations Manual revealed that the pushback operator and the captain share responsibility for the safe conduct of pushback operations. The manual mandates that the operator must remain alert for signals and must stop the pushback if visual contact with wing walkers is lost. Furthermore, the operator is required to continuously scan for hazards and assess clearances before beginning the maneuver.
The investigation also focused on the Push Tug Operator, who tested positive for a cocaine metabolite. While the airline's policy included pre-employment drug testing for all employees, the operator's initial pre-employment test had been negative. It was noted that the operator was not included on the FAA's safety-sensitive list at the time of the accident.
Findings
- The pushback operator failed to maintain visual contact with the wing walker.
- The pushback operator continued the maneuver despite losing sight of the person providing signals.
- The Push Tug Operator tested positive for a cocaine metabolite.