20040803021279I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Boeing 73783N · Chicago, IL · August 3, 2004

Date: August 3, 2004 · 22:25 local
Place: Chicago, IL
Airport: Chicago Midway
Phase of flight: Other Ground Ops
Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator: AMTA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N328TZ
Reported as: Boeing 73783N
People aboard: 156
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 7,086 total205 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) An American trans air Boeing 737-800 was parked on terminal gate # A-16 at Chicago's Midway airport on the night of August 3, 2004 when the aircraft was struck by a run-away refueling stand. The aircraft suffered two damaged flap fairings on the left wing. Contributing factors were, severe thunderstorm with high wind, and the brakes on the refueling stand did not work. The stand, which is basically a set of stairs on wheels, was chocked with small wooden chocks. However, the brakes and drag plates on this piece of equipment do not work. During the high winds (25KTS. Gusting to 40KTS.) The stand was blown across the ramp into the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AN AMERICAN TRANS AIR BOEING 737-800 WAS PARKED ON TERMINAL GATE # A-16 AT CHICAGO'S MIDWAY AIRPORT ON THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 3, 2004 WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS STRUCK BY A RUN-AWAY REFUELING STAND. THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED TWO DAMAGED FLAP FAIRINGS ON THE LEFT WING. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE, SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH HIGH WIND, AND THE BRAKES ON THE REFUELING STAND DID NOT WORK. THE STAND, WHICH IS BASICALLY A SET OF STAIRS ON WHEELS, WAS CHOCKED WITH SMALL WOODEN CHOCKS. HOWEVER, THE BRAKES AND DRAG PLATES ON THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT DO NOT WORK. DURING THE HIGH WINDS (25KTS. GUSTING TO 40KTS.) THE STAND WAS BLOWN ACROSS THE RAMP INTO THE AIRCRAFT.