# Incident 20030731024139I: Doug DC981, Detroit, MI, July 31, 2003

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 31, 2003, 18:03 local time
- Place: Detroit, MI
- Airport: Detroit Metro Wayne County
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: GTIA
- Location: 42.2124° N, 83.3534° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at DETROIT METRO WAYNE COUNTY (DTW), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2124&lon=-83.3534&mi=10
- Aircraft: N819NK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N819NK-2005-12-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-81(MD-81) (registry code 3022081, https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-dc-9-81-md-81) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DOUG DC981
- People aboard: 156
- Fatal injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030731024139I

## Narrative

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

(-23) SPIRIT FLIGHT 1565, DTW TO MYR, WAS ENPLANED WITH PASSENGERS AND CREW ON GATE C4 AT DTW. THE BOARDING DOOR WAS CLOSED FOR DEPARTURE. PUSH BACK OF THE DC-9-81 AIRCRAFT, N819NK, WAS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH A TRACTOR AND A TOW BAR. AIRCRAFT MARSHALLING PERSONNEL WERE PRESENT AT BOTH WING TIPS. A SPARE DC-9-81 AIRCRAFT, N805NK, WAS LOCATED AT THE NEXT GATE, GATE C2. AS AIRCRAFT 819 WAS PUSHED FROM THE GATE, THE TAIL BEGAN AN UNINTENTIONAL SWING TOWARD AIRCRAFT LEFT. THE LEFT WING MARSHALLER AND A CATERING EMPLOYEE PERCEIVED THE IMPENDING COLLISION AND TRIED TO GAIN THE ATTENTION OF THE TRACTOR DRIVER, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE TAIL OF AIRCRAFT 819 STRUCK THE TAIL OF AIRCRAFT 805 AT AN APPROXIMATE 90-DEGREE ANGLE, AND DID MINOR DAMAGE TO BOTH AIRCRAFT. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE TAKEN OUT-OF-SERVICE AND REPAIRED PRIOR TO THEIR RETURN TO SERVICE A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER. THE TRACTOR DRIVER WAS ESCORTED TO A FACILITY FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING TO BE PERFORMED, AND HAS BEEN SUSPENDED PENDING A COMPANY INVESTIGATION.

## Other reports on N819NK (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20031006029999I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031006029999I), Oct 6, 2003: Doug DC981 (N819NK), Detroit, MI, Minor damage. (-23) Spirit flight 1605, dtw to rsw, departed at 1231Z. During climbout at 10,000 ft., the oil strainer light illuminated on the right engine. After a few…

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.