No fatalities

Pushback Incident Results in Damage to Aircraft Nose Gear and Pressure Vessel

Atlanta, GA, United States

On October 7, 2011, a MCDONNELL DOUGLAS AIRCRAFT CO MD-88 operated by Delta Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Atlanta, GA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The tug driver's inadequate control of the tug while maneuvering the airplane during pushback. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 17 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1785761257Data APIEditorial standards

During pushback, a tug driver turned early to avoid an aircraft at an adjacent gate and did not straighten in time, causing impact that damaged the nose landing gear support beam and punctured the pressure vessel.

Incident Overview

An incident occurred during the pushback of an airplane from its gate. According to the tug driver, he turned the airplane early to avoid an airplane at an adjacent gate. He stated that he did not straighten the tug in time, resulting in an impact with the parked airplane. The collision caused substantial damage to the airplane's nose landing gear support beam and a puncture in the pressure vessel.

Pilot's Account

The pilot of the flight reported that during pushback, the airplane overshot the centerline and was being corrected back to the line. The pilot observed the tug continue aft and then heard a metallic sound. The pilot noted that the pushback did not appear to be too fast and that there appeared to be only minor directional control problems with the tug until the moment of impact.

Damage Assessment

The damage from the collision was substantial. Specifically, the nose landing gear support beam was damaged, and the pressure vessel was punctured. The extent of the damage required further inspection and repairs before the aircraft could return to service.

Factual Context

The incident occurred during a routine pushback operation. No additional details about the aircraft type, registration, operator, location, or date were provided in the source. The tug driver's actions and the resulting impact were the only factors described.

Contributing factors

TowingGround crew