20080309833429I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Cndair CL-600-2B19 · Chicago, IL · March 9, 2008

Date
March 9, 2008 · 17:00 local
Place
Chicago, IL
Airport
Chicago O'Hare International
Phase of flight
Other Ground Ops
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
SWIA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N970SW
Reported as
Cndair CL6002B19
Reported engine
GE CF343B1
People aboard
53
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
0 total0 in this make and model0 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) Crew had just finished boarding passengers for swia flight #5886 on gate "fic." Tug #1 was pulling four baggage carts enroute from the depressed road way approaching gate "fic" at terminal "2" which is where N970SW was parked. Tug #2 was going in the opposite direction and spun-out on the glycol de-icing fluid on the ramp and hit the last cart being towed by tug #1, which caused the cart to impact the right wing winglet causing substantial damage to the winglet. The passengers and crew deplaned normally. There were no reported injuries to passengers, flight crew or ground personnel. The driver of tug #2 admitted she was "driving too fast for conditions", lost control of the tug and hit the cart. The responsible ground handling agency, united airlines (uala), has taken remedial action and placed the driver on probation.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) CREW HAD JUST FINISHED BOARDING PASSENGERS FOR SWIA FLIGHT #5886 ON GATE "FIC." TUG #1 WAS PULLING FOUR BAGGAGE CARTS ENROUTE FROM THE DEPRESSED ROAD WAY APPROACHING GATE "FIC" AT TERMINAL "2" WHICH IS WHERE N970SW WAS PARKED. TUG #2 WAS GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND SPUN-OUT ON THE GLYCOL DE-ICING FLUID ON THE RAMP AND HIT THE LAST CART BEING TOWED BY TUG #1, WHICH CAUSED THE CART TO IMPACT THE RIGHT WING WINGLET CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WINGLET. THE PASSENGERS AND CREW DEPLANED NORMALLY. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES TO PASSENGERS, FLIGHT CREW OR GROUND PERSONNEL. THE DRIVER OF TUG #2 ADMITTED SHE WAS "DRIVING TOO FAST FOR CONDITIONS", LOST CONTROL OF THE TUG AND HIT THE CART. THE RESPONSIBLE GROUND HANDLING AGENCY, UNITED AIRLINES (UALA), HAS TAKEN REMEDIAL ACTION AND PLACED THE DRIVER ON PROBATION.