# Accident 20020716016819A: Saab 340B, Tupelo, MS, July 16, 2002 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 16, 2002, 09:10 local time - Place: Tupelo, MS - Airport: Tupelo Municipal - C D Lemons - Phase of flight: Idling Engines - Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121) - Operator: MALA - Location: 34.2681° N, 88.7700° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2681&lon=-88.7700&mi=10 - Aircraft: N403XJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N403XJ-2019-06-07) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Saab-Scania SAAB 340B (registry code 7860101, https://openairdocs.org/model/saab-scania-saab-340b) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: GE CT7-SER series (registry code 30031, https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-ct7-ser-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: SAAB 340B - Reported engine: GE CT79B - People aboard: 12 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA02LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA02LA134) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020716016819A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) GROUND HANDLER LOST GRIP ON PAPERWORK AND WAS CHASING THE DOCUMENTS WHEN HER RIGHT HAND MADE CONTACT WITH THE LEFT PROP, SEVERING THE RIGHT THUMB, INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGERS. (.19) ON JULY 16, 2002, ABOUT 0937 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A SAAB 340B, N403XJ, REGISTERED TO WACHOVIA BANK NA TRUSTEE, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 121 NORTHWEST AIRLINK AIR CARRIER FLIGHT, WAS INVOLVED IN A GROUND ACCIDENT WITH A RAMP AGENT AT THE TUPELO REGIONAL AIRPORT, TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE RECEIVED NO DAMAGE, AND THE RAMP AGENT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ARRIVED IN TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI AT 0935 AND WAS SCHEDULED TO DEPART AT 0940. ACCORDING TO AN OFFICIAL WITH THE FAA, A RAMP AGENT HAD JUST PLACED A CHOCK AROUND THE NOSE GEAR AND, AS SHE APPROACHED THE CAPTAIN'S WINDOW TO HAND OVER A DISPATCH RELEASE FORM, SOME DOCUMENTS BLEW OUT OF HER HAND AND AS SHE REACHED OVER TO RETRIEVE THEM, HER RIGHT HAND CONTACTED THE LEFT ROTATING PROPELLER. THE LEFT ENGINE'S PROPELLER DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY DAMAGE. (.4) ON JULY 16, 2002, ABOUT 0930 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A SAAB 340B, N403XJ, REGISTERED TO WACHOVIA BANK NA TRUSTEE, OPERATING AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 121 MESABA AIR CARRIER FLIGHT, DBA NORTHWEST AIRLINK, WAS INVOLVED IN A GROUND ACCIDENT WITH A RAMP AGENT AT THE TUPELO REGIONAL AIRPORT, TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE RECEIVED NO DAMAGE, AND THE RAMP AGENT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ARRIVED IN TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI, AT 0925, AND WAS SCHEDULED TO DEPART AT 0940. ACCORDING TO THE CAPTAIN, THE FLIGHTCREW DID NOT SEE THE ACCIDENT. AFTER THEY WERE GIVEN THE "STOP" SIGNAL BY THE MARSHALER, THE FLIGHTCREW SET PARKING BRAKES, SET CONDITION LEVERS TO START/FEATHER, AND WERE WAITING FOR THE "CHOCKS IN" SIGNAL FROM THE MARSHALER WHEN SHE APPEARED OFF THE LEFT NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT HOLDING HER BLEEDING HAND. AT THIS TIME THE CAPTAIN PERFORMED AN EMERGENCY LEFT ENGINE SHUTDOWN, INSTRUCTED THE FIRST OFFICER TO FINISH THE SECURING CHECKLIST AND THE PASSENGERS TO STAY SEATED, AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT TO LEND ASSISTANCE. HE STATED AT NO TIME WAS THE CAPTAIN'S ACCESS PORT OPEN. ACCORDING TO AN OFFICIAL WITH THE FAA, THE RAMP AGENT HAD JUST PLACED CHOCKS AGAINST THE NOSE TIRES OF THE ARRIVING FLIGHT, AND AS SHE APPROACHED THE CAPTAIN'S ACCESS PORT TO DELIVER FLIGHT DOCUMENTS TO THE CREW, THE PORT HAD NOT BEEN OPENED. SHE THEN STUFFED THE PAPERS INTO HER BREAST POCKET AND READJUSTED THE NOSE GEAR CHOCKS. AS SHE APPROACHED THE CAPTAIN'S ACCESS PORT FOR THE SECOND TIME, THE DOCUMENTS BLEW OUT OF HER BREAST POCKET. AS SHE SCURRIED TO RETRIEVE THEM, HER RIGHT HAND CONTACTED THE ENGINE NUMBER ONE ROTATING PROPELLER. THE PROPELLER WAS FEATHERED AND WINDING DOWN WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE RAMP AGENT'S RIGHT THUMB AND TWO ADJACENT FINGERS WERE SEVERED. ACCORDING TO THE CHIEF PILOT OF MESABA AIRLINES, THE RAMP AGENT WAS AN EMPLOYEE OF PINNACLE AIRLINES WHO CONTRACTS WITH MESABA TO CONDUCT GROUND HANDLING OF AIRCRAFT AT THE TUPELO AIRPORT. THE MESABA GROUND HANDLING MANUAL STATES THAT ANY PART OF THE RAMP AFT OF THE NOSE GEAR OF THE SAAB 340 IS A PROHIBITED ZONE AND IS NOT TO BE OCCUPIED UNTIL PROPELLERS HAVE STOPPED ROTATING. THE TUPELO STATION MANAGER FOR PINNACLE AIRLINES CONFIRMED THAT THE TRAINING GIVEN TO THEIR RAMP AGENTS STATES THAT NO PART OF THE RAMP AFT OF THE SAAB'SFRONT LOADING DOOR SHOULD BE OCCUPIED UNTIL PROPELLERS HAVE STOPPED. THE ACCIDENT RAMP AGENT HAD RECEIVED THE TRAINING. HE STATED FURTHER THAT THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED, PRIMARILY, DUE TO IMPULSE REACTION WHEN THE DISPATCH PAPERS BLEW OUT OF THE AGENT'S BREAST POCKET. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA02LA134](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA02LA134), Jul 16, 2002: Saab-Scania SF340B (N403XJ), Tupelo, MS, no damage. Probable cause: The failure of the ground agent to follow procedures and directives and to maintain a visual lookout due to a diversion of attention caused by paperwork being sucked toward the rotating propeller,… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.