# Incident 19980207003739I: Saab 340B, Boston, MA, February 7, 1998

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 7, 1998, 17:57 local time
- Place: Boston, MA
- Airport: General Edward Lawrence Logan
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Final Approach-IFR
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: PLGA
- Location: 42.3629° N, 71.0064° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at GENERAL EDWARD LAWRENCE LOGAN INTL (BOS), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3629&lon=-71.0064&mi=10
- Aircraft: N349BE (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: SAAB 340B
- People aboard: 20
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 6,900 total, 4,000 in this make and model, 198 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980207003739I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: 2/07/98 NOTIFIED BY THE FAA BURLINGTON COMMUNICATIONS CENTER AT 1920 THAT AN ACCIDENT/INCIDENT HAD OCCURRED AT LOGAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, EAST-BOSTON, MA. INVOLVING A SAAB 340 OPERATED BY BUSINESS EXPRESS, (PLGA). NOTIFIED BY THE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER THAT THE PORT AUTHORITY MOVED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE GATE AREA TO THE PARKING RAMP ADJACENT TO THE TWA/NWA CARGO AND HANGAR FACILITIES AT THE NORTH END OF THE AIRPORT. DURING THE INTERVIEW WITH THE CAPTAIN AND FIRST OFFICER OF FLIGHT 4237 THEY TOLD ME THAT THE HYDRAULIC QUANTITY WENT TO EMPTY DURING THE APPROACH. AFTER LANDING THE PILOT CHECKED THE ACCUMULATOR PRESSURE AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS ABOVE 1800 PSI AND THEREFORE SAFE TO CONTINUE TO THE RAMP. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE RAMP THE FLIGHT WAS MET BY A MAINTENANCE VEHICLE AND CHALKED BY THE RAMP PERSONNEL. WHEN THE CREW RECEIVED THE SIGNAL THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS PROPERLY CHALKED, THE CONDITION LEVERS WERE POSITIONED FOR SHUT DOWN, THE AIRCRAFT THEN JUMPED THE CHALKS OR CHALK. A SKID MARK ON THE RAMP INDICATES THAT THE LEFT WHEEL DID NOT JUMP THE CHALK AS DID THE RIGHT WHEEL. THE AIRCRAFT THEN PIVOTED AND MOVED FORWARD TO THE LEFT STRIKING THE PARKED MAINTENANCE VEHICLE WITH THE #1 PROPELLER AND LEFT WING LEADING EDGE. THE CAPTAIN HAD POSITIONED THE LEFT CONDITION LEVER TO THE FUEL SHUT OFF POSITION BEFORE STRIKING THE VEHICLE. PHOTOGRAPHS INDICATE THAT THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE RIGHT FRONT HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY OF THE TRUCK AND THE WING LEADING EDGE BENT THE RIGHT WINDSHIELD FRAME, CRACKING THE WINDOW. DAMAGE TO BOTH THE AIRCRAFT AND THE TRUCK WAS MINOR. THE PRECEDING OBSERVATIONS WERE BASED ON THE EVIDENCE REMAINING AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS MOVED. THE RE-POSITIONING TOOK PLACE BEFORE MY ARRIVAL. IN A CONVERSATION WITH THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS FOR BUSINESS EXPRESS ON 2/20/98 I LEARNED THAT THEIR INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN CHALKED AT THE NOSE WHEEL ONLY, AND WHEN THE CONDITION LEVERS WERE POSITIONED TO SHUT DOWN, THE AIRCRAFT MOVED FORWARD PUSING THE CHALK. AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS AND DAMAGE; 1. LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT WING HAD MINOR DAMAGE. 2. THE LEFT PROPELLER HAD DAMAGE INVOLVING ALL FOUR BLADES. 3. THERE WAS HYDRAULIC FLUID ON THE LOWER FORWARD FUSELAGE STARTING AT THE NOSE WHEEL WELL AND CONTINUING AFT. 4. HYDRAULIC FLUID IN THE NOSE WHEEL WELL COVERING THE AFT BULKHEAD AND ACTUATING      CYLINDER. 5. HYDRAULIC QUANTITY INDICATOR READ IN THE WHITE BAND NEAR THE EMPTY POSITION. 6. NOTIFIED BY THE PMI THAT A MORE DETAILED INSPECTION OF THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM REVEALED THAT THE BRAIDED LINE BETWEEN THE RESERVOIR AND THE SYSTEM FILTER FAILED ALLOWING THE LOSS OF THE SYSTEM FLUID.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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