19970615018279I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Doug MD88 · Newark, NJ · June 15, 1997

Date: June 15, 1997 · 14:37 local
Place: Newark, NJ
Airport: Newark International
Phase of flight: Starting Engines
Operating rules: Foreign air carrier (Part 129)
Operator: UBBF
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: PRMDE
Reported as: Doug MD88
People aboard: 95
Fatal injuries: 0

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: APU inoperative. Started #2 engine on the gate. Aircraft pushed back by tug. Tow team cleared crew to cross start #1 engine. During starting of #1 engine which created excessive thrust & during the forward motion of tug pulling aircraft, aircraft pushed tug and overran towbar, striking tug with right hand side of aircraft, creating a dent 3/8" deep, 4" long. Tug should have been disconnected before any cross start should have been attempted. Due to the excessive thrust, one flight attendant was taken to the hospital for observation.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: APU INOPERATIVE. STARTED #2 ENGINE ON THE GATE. AIRCRAFT PUSHED BACK BY TUG. TOW TEAM CLEARED CREW TO CROSS START #1 ENGINE. DURING STARTING OF #1 ENGINE WHICH CREATED EXCESSIVE THRUST & DURING THE FORWARD MOTION OF TUG PULLING AIRCRAFT, AIRCRAFT PUSHED TUG AND OVERRAN TOWBAR, STRIKING TUG WITH RIGHT HAND SIDE OF AIRCRAFT, CREATING A DENT 3/8" DEEP, 4" LONG. TUG SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCONNECTED BEFORE ANY CROSS START SHOULD HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTED. DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE THRUST, ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL FOR OBSERVATION.