Incident Details
The accident occurred after the flight landed and was taxiing to the gate. The captain reported that as the airplane passed an airport service road-taxiway intersection, it struck something. He brought the airplane to a stop, but the flight crew could not immediately see what they had hit. The captain then continued, turning left onto the next intersecting taxiway, where he observed an overturned tug along the south edge of the taxiway at the service road intersection. The airplane taxied to its assigned gate and deplaned passengers without further incident.
Witness Accounts
Witnesses traveling in a van behind the tug reported that the tug did not stop short of the taxiway but continued moving onto the taxiway as the airplane approached. The right wing of the airplane subsequently struck the tug, flipping it over. The tug driver was hospitalized for injuries sustained during the accident and had no recollection of the events surrounding the accident.
Environmental Conditions
Witnesses recalled that the taxiway was wet at the service road intersection, though it was not snowing at the time. The surface visibility about the time of the accident was 10 miles with no precipitation or restrictions to visibility.
Regulatory Context
The airport Ground Motor Vehicle Operation Regulations Manual stated that "all ground vehicle operators must yield the right-of-way to an aircraft in motion."