Incident Overview
On October 4, 2012, at about 2010 central daylight time, a Boeing 717-200, registration N894AT, was struck by a catering truck while parked at the gate at General Mitchell International Airport (KMKE), Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The aircraft was operated by Southwest Airlines, Inc., as Flight 725, a scheduled domestic passenger flight under 14 CFR Part 121. The flight had originated from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL) and arrived at gate C14. There were no injuries to the 103 deplaning passengers and 5 flight crew. The airplane was substantially damaged.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft had arrived at gate C14 and passengers had begun deplaning. A catering truck, owned by AirTran Airways and operated by Aerotek Aviation, approached the right front service door. The driver reported attempting to stop by applying the brakes three times. The truck did not stop and struck the airplane. After the accident, the driver found a sleeve of hot/cold cups under the brake pedal.
Damage Assessment
The damage to the airplane was confined to the area of the production splice, where the forward portion of the fuselage is mated to the midsection fuselage. This included fuselage stations 207, 218, 228, 235, and 250.
Meteorological and Flight Plan Information
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed and closed. The aircraft was registered to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, NA, Salt Lake City, Utah.