Vietnam Airlines Flight 125 Pushback Incident at Da Nang (VN-A870)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On April 2, 2020, at 11:37 UTC, a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9, registration VN-A870, experienced an unexpected forward movement while being pushed back on taxiway E6 at Da Nang International Airport. The aircraft, manufactured in 2016, was operating commercial flight VN125 from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City. The flight crew consisted of a captain and a first officer, both of whom were fully qualified and rested according to regulations. The aircraft carried 188 passengers at the time of the incident. Weather conditions were within standard operating limits, with visibility of 8 km and winds from 100 degrees at 4 knots. ## Sequence of Events During pre-flight preparations, the first officer performed cockpit disinfection to mitigate COVID-19 risks. While cleaning the throttle quadrant, the first officer moved the engine throttles to the Takeoff/GA (TOGA) position and failed to return them to the Idle position. The aircraft was subsequently pushed back from stand 25 toward runway 17L. At 11:35:58 UTC, the crew initiated an automatic engine start while the aircraft was being pushed back. The flight data recorder indicated that both engine throttles remained at the TOGA position, with throttle resolver angles recorded at approximately 84 degrees. As the engines spooled up, fuel flow began at 11:36:47 UTC. At 11:37:40 UTC, engine power increased rapidly to takeoff levels, with N1 parameters reaching 100.56% for both engines. The aircraft's speed increased from 0.69 knots to 9.06 knots within five seconds. The crew applied brakes to stop the aircraft, and the throttles were returned to the Idle position at 11:37:48 UTC. The aircraft came to a complete stop at 11:38:01 UTC, and the engines were shut down at 11:39:52 UTC. ## Damage and Investigation Findings The incident resulted in no injuries to passengers, crew, or ground personnel. The aircraft sustained damage to the rear right door of the nose gear bay and paint scratches on the lower fuselage. The pushback tug's tow bar was bent at a 90-degree angle, and part of the tug was crushed under the aircraft's right side. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam classified the event as a high-level safety threat (Level C). The investigation determined that the direct cause was the failure to position the engine throttles at Idle before starting the engines, causing them to reach takeoff power upon completion of the start sequence. Indirect causes included an internal operator notice regarding cockpit disinfection that lacked detailed guidance on timing, leading the crew to perform cleaning after the cockpit check. Additionally, the pre-start checklist did not include a specific item to verify throttle position, and the crew's monitoring of engine parameters during the start was not sufficiently effective.