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20040306008239I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Airbus A319111 · Atlantic City, NJ · March 6, 2004

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 6, 2004 · 01:30 local
Place
Atlantic City, NJ
Airport
Atlantic City International
Phase of flight
Ground Taxi, Other Airplane
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
F3LA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N922FR
Reported as
Airbus A319111
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
8,000 total586 in this make and model275 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) On March 6, 2004, at approximately 01:30 eastern standard time, a Airbus A-319-111 aircraft, registered as N922FR, operated by frontier airlines as flight 9992 hit a jetway while attempting to taxi under power from gate #1 at Atlantic City International Airport, egg harbor township, NJ (kacy). The repositioning flight did not have any passengers and only the two man flight crew and two flight attendants were on board at the time of the incident. The aircraft had previously diverted to kacy while enroute from denver (kden) to la guardia (klga) due to severe weather. Frontier airlines does not normally operate into kacy and assistance in ground handling was obtained from spirit airlines. Spirit airlines also does not routinely handle Airbus equipment. The crew was unable to procure use of the fixed base operator's (FBO) Airbus A-319/A-320 Airbus tow bar (midlantic jet) for reasons that could not be clarified developed by this investigation and instead elected to taxi while under power from the gate. Statements from spirit airlines ground crew personnel indicate that the crew was unable to stop the aircraft in time shortly after an emergency stop signal was given. This had been given by relay method to the aircraft marshaller by a person positioned at the left wing. The pilot also stated that his attention was focused on the signals from the marshaller who was calling for the crew to make a hard right hand turn and while doing so, felt the left wing strike the jetway. The on-scene investigation confirmed that the left wing tip hit the jetway causing damage to the left wing tip fence and left position/strobe light assembly. Frontier airlines maintenance control was notified and maintenance personnel were dispatched. The wingtip assembly was removed and the light assembly replaced. The aircraft was ferried to denver under a special flight permit where further repairs were accomplished. This investigation is considered closed. The contents of the investigative package has been forwarded to the operations unit supervisor for his review and consideration. Frontier airlines personnel and spirit airlines cooperated to the extent necessary to develop the aforementioned facts.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON MARCH 6, 2004, AT APPROXIMATELY 01:30 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A AIRBUS A-319-111 AIRCRAFT, REGISTERED AS N922FR, OPERATED BY FRONTIER AIRLINES AS FLIGHT 9992 HIT A JETWAY WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TAXI UNDER POWER FROM GATE #1 AT ATLANTIC CITY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, NJ (KACY). THE REPOSITIONING FLIGHT DID NOT HAVE ANY PASSENGERS AND ONLY THE TWO MAN FLIGHT CREW AND TWO FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE ON BOARD AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT HAD PREVIOUSLY DIVERTED TO KACY WHILE ENROUTE FROM DENVER (KDEN) TO LA GUARDIA (KLGA) DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER. FRONTIER AIRLINES DOES NOT NORMALLY OPERATE INTO KACY AND ASSISTANCE IN GROUND HANDLING WAS OBTAINED FROM SPIRIT AIRLINES. SPIRIT AIRLINES ALSO DOES NOT ROUTINELY HANDLE AIRBUS EQUIPMENT. THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO PROCURE USE OF THE FIXED BASE OPERATOR'S (FBO) AIRBUS A-319/A-320 AIRBUS TOW BAR (MIDLANTIC JET) FOR REASONS THAT COULD NOT BE CLARIFIED DEVELOPED BY THIS INVESTIGATION AND INSTEAD ELECTED TO TAXI WHILE UNDER POWER FROM THE GATE. STATEMENTS FROM SPIRIT AIRLINES GROUND CREW PERSONNEL INDICATE THAT THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE AIRCRAFT IN TIME SHORTLY AFTER AN EMERGENCY STOP SIGNAL WAS GIVEN. THIS HAD BEEN GIVEN BY RELAY METHOD TO THE AIRCRAFT MARSHALLER BY A PERSON POSITIONED AT THE LEFT WING. THE PILOT ALSO STATED THAT HIS ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON THE SIGNALS FROM THE MARSHALLER WHO WAS CALLING FOR THE CREW TO MAKE A HARD RIGHT HAND TURN AND WHILE DOING SO, FELT THE LEFT WING STRIKE THE JETWAY. THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION CONFIRMED THAT THE LEFT WING TIP HIT THE JETWAY CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE LEFT WING TIP FENCE AND LEFT POSITION/STROBE LIGHT ASSEMBLY. FRONTIER AIRLINES MAINTENANCE CONTROL WAS NOTIFIED AND MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WERE DISPATCHED. THE WINGTIP ASSEMBLY WAS REMOVED AND THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY REPLACED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FERRIED TO DENVER UNDER A SPECIAL FLIGHT PERMIT WHERE FURTHER REPAIRS WERE ACCOMPLISHED. THIS INVESTIGATION IS CONSIDERED CLOSED. THE CONTENTS OF THE INVESTIGATIVE PACKAGE HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO THE OPERATIONS UNIT SUPERVISOR FOR HIS REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION. FRONTIER AIRLINES PERSONNEL AND SPIRIT AIRLINES COOPERATED TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO DEVELOP THE AFOREMENTIONED FACTS.