20090406005579A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Boeing 737-7H4 · Detroit, MI · April 6, 2009

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: April 6, 2009 · 08:37 local
Place: Detroit, MI
Airport: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Cou
Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator: SWAA
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N410WN
Reported as: Boeing 7377H4
Reported engine: GE CFM56*
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 0 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N410WNRegistered now · Boeing 737-7H4S/N 27897 · Built 2001 Airframe modelBoeing 737-7H4 Engine modelCFM International CFM56 seriesTurbo-fan

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.

Aircraft was parked on de-ice pad 21R at dtw. De-ice crew was moving from rear of the aircraft to the front, along right side of the aircraft, to speak with the crew regarding de-ice operations. Truck driver initiated left turn, around the right wing tip, while de-ice bucket was to the left side of truck centerline. Bucket struck outside surface of right hand winglet, causing considerable damage to the winglet, and causing injury to the employee riding in the bucket. Driver stated that radio communicatino between bucket and driver was intermittent, and communication between truck driver and aircraft was inoperative.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT WAS PARKED ON DE-ICE PAD 21R AT DTW. DE-ICE CREW WAS MOVING FROM REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT TO THE FRONT, ALONG RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT, TO SPEAK WITH THE CREW REGARDING DE-ICE OPERATIONS. TRUCK DRIVER INITIATED LEFT TURN, AROUND THE RIGHT WING TIP, WHILE DE-ICE BUCKET WAS TO THE LEFT SIDE OF TRUCK CENTERLINE. BUCKET STRUCK OUTSIDE SURFACE OF RIGHT HAND WINGLET, CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO THE WINGLET, AND CAUSING INJURY TO THE EMPLOYEE RIDING IN THE BUCKET. DRIVER STATED THAT RADIO COMMUNICATINO BETWEEN BUCKET AND DRIVER WAS INTERMITTENT, AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TRUCK DRIVER AND AIRCRAFT WAS INOPERATIVE.