A B737-300 FLC CAUSED A BAGGAGE CART TO STRIKE ANOTHER ACFT DEPARTING THE GATE AT ORD.

Date: 1999-08 · Aircraft: B737-300 · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|ground-event-encounter-vehicle

Synopsis

A B737-300 FLC CAUSED A BAGGAGE CART TO STRIKE ANOTHER ACFT DEPARTING THE GATE AT ORD.

Narrative

OUR ACFT PUSHED BACK FROM GATE Y IN ORD. ACFT WAS IMPROPERLY POSITIONED BY TUG OPERATED BY PUSHBACK CREW RESULTING IN TAIL OF ACFT NOT POINTED TOWARDS BLAST FENCE TO THE REAR OF THE ACFT. IN ADDITION; A BAGGAGE CART WAS LEFT UNATTENDED BTWN GATE X AND OUR GATE Y. BECAUSE OF IMPROPER POSITIONING OF OUR ACFT; WHEN TAXI THRUST WAS APPLIED; THE BAGGAGE CART WAS BLOWN INTO AND DAMAGED ACFT WHICH WAS PARKED AT X. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: 1) GATE IS A TIGHT FIT FOR ACFT TAXIING INTO AND OUT OF. GATE AREA SHOULD BE ELIMINATED. FAR TOO MANY INCIDENTS OF THIS TYPE OCCUR AT THIS GATE. 2) FLC HAS NO IDEA -- NO MARKINGS; ETC -- OF WHETHER THEY HAVE BEEN PROPERLY POSITIONED OR NOT. THIS PARTICULAR GATE; I AM TOLD; IS A 4-STEP PUSHBACK PROC. THE 4TH STEP IS WHERE THE NOSE GEAR IS SUPPOSED TO BE POSITIONED PRIOR TO TAXI. IN THIS SIT; A FORMAL INVESTIGATION REVEALED IT HAD NOT BEEN POSITIONED ON THIS SPOT RESULTING IN THE ACFT NOT BEING POINTED IN THE REQUIRED POS; IE; HDG. FLC SHOULD HAVE SOME SORT OF WAY OF DETERMINING FROM THE COCKPIT WHETHER THEY ARE IN THE PROPER SPOT OR NOT. IT IS A GATE WHERE PUSHBACK HAS TO BE DONE PERFECTLY OR INCIDENTS OF THIS TYPE WILL CONTINUE BEYOND ACCEPTABLE LEVELS.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.