# Incident 20080925849899I: Boeing 737322, Chicago, IL, September 25, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 25, 2008, 18:25 local time
- Place: Chicago, IL
- Airport: Chicago O'Hare International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: UALA
- Location: 41.9769° N, 87.9081° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHICAGO O'HARE INTL (ORD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.9769&lon=-87.9081&mi=10
- Aircraft: N332UA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N332UA-2008-11-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Boeing 737-322 (registry code 138447Y, https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-322) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: GE CFM56 series (registry code 30016, https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-cfm56-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 737322
- People aboard: 92
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080925849899I

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE INVESTIGATION IS ON-GOING AND CONDUCTED BY THE DEN CFMO (WP-30).  AMENDED -23 01/06/2009, THIS INCIDENT INVOLVES AN AIRCRAFT COLLIDING WITH A LAVATORY TRUCK DURING PUSHBACK.  THE LAVATORY TRUCK OPERATOR WAS PARKED AND IN A BASKET SERVICING THE AFT LAVATORY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CONTACTED THE BASKET.  TO AVOID SEVERE INJURIES THE INDIVIDUAL IN THE BASKET LEAPED TO THE GROUND AND SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES.  THIS INCIDENT WAS ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED AS AN OCCURRENCE BUT AFTER EVALUATION OF AIRCRAFT DAMAGE AND POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE INJURIES, IT WAS UPGRADED TO AN INCIDENT.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE AND RETIRED.  THE GROUND PERSONNEL WERE DQ'D (DISQUALIFIED).  AFTER REALIZING THIS WAS AN INCIDENT I TRAVELED TO CHICAGO FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.  I REVIEWED THE SECURITY VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT AND WENT TO THE GATE WHERE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED AND WITH THE HELP OF UNITED'S GROUND SAFETY INVESTIGATOR WE RECONSTRUCTED THIS INCIDENT.  UNITED GROUND PERSONNEL DID NOT FOLLOW THEIR STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES PER THEIR MANUAL.  THEY HAVE SINCE BEEN RETRAINED AND RE-QUALIFIED.  THIS HAS BEEN ADDED AS A HOT ITEM ON UNITED'S SAFETY BOARD AND IDENTIFIED AS A QUALITY ASSURANCE ITEM WHICH IS BEING BRIEFED TO ALL SUPERVISORS AND GROUND PERSONNEL.  UNITED IS ALSO CHANGING SEVERAL MANUALS TO REFLECT THE SAFETY ISSUES IDENTIFIED.  AMENDED -23 04/08/09, LAVATORY TRUCK PUSHBACK INCIDENT AIRCRAFT.  ON 09/30/2008 POI RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM CHICAGO THAT AN AIRCRAFT HAD STRUCK A LAVATORY TRUCK DURING PUSHBACK.  CONTACTED MY MAINTENANCE COUNTERPART, ON 10/02/2008 AFTER A DISCUSSION WITH ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, UNITED'S GROUND SAFETY INVESTIGATOR, FLIGHT CREW HAD NO PART IN OCCURRENCE I LEARNED THAT BOTH THE TUG OPERATOR AND WING WALKER WERE DQ'D (DISQUALIFIED).  I MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO GO TO CHICAGO FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.  ON 10/10/2008 I SPENT SEVERAL HOURS IN CHICAGO.  REVIEWED SECURITY TAPE OF INCIDENT.  WENT TO GATE WHERE THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ HELPED ME RECONSTRUCT THIS INCIDENT.  DUE TO AMOUNT AIRCRAFT DAMAGE AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE.  #1 UNITED TUG DRIVER DID NOT FOLLOW STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

## Other reports on N332UA (1)

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

- [Incident 19960908030149I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960908030149I), Sep 8, 1996: Boeing 737322 (N332UA), Newark, NJ. Narrative: at approximately 032OZ uala flight 1260, a B-737-300 departed ewr from runway 22 right. While in climb pilot reported severe vibration and…

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.

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