# Incident 20140110000179I: Airbus Industrie A319-112, Warwick, RI, January 10, 2014 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 10, 2014, 19:33 local time - Place: Warwick, RI - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma - Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121) - Operator: USAA - Location: 41.7001° N, 71.4162° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Warwick, RI, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.7001&lon=-71.4162&mi=10 - Aircraft: N765US, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N765US) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Airbus Industrie A319-112 (registry code 3930323, https://openairdocs.org/model/airbus-industrie-a319-112) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: CFM International CFM56 series (registry code 13802, https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AIRBUS INDUSTRIE A319-112 - Reported engine: CFM INTL. CFM56 SERIES - People aboard: 129 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Other injuries: 0 - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140110000179I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 (L) ON 1/10/14, ROC REPORTED US AIRWAYS FLIGHT 864 PVD ? CLT WAS BEING PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE WHEN THE TUG JACK KNIFED AND IMPACTED THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE NACELLE. THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL TOW LIMIT WAS ALSO EXCEEDED. INITIALLY, ROC CONTACTED T.F. GREEN AIRPORT POLICE LOCATED ON THE FIELD AT THE T.F. GREEN AIRPORT. T.F. GREEN AIRPORT POLICE DISPATCHER STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED AT GATE 3. UPON PUSHBACK, THE TUG (PS123) SLID ON ICE, CAUSING THE TUG TO JACK KNIFE. THE TUG SLID SEVERAL FEET AND CAME TO REST, IMPACTING THE BOTTOM OF THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE INLET. THE JACK KNIFE ACTION OF THE TUG CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL TOW LIMITATION TO BE EXCEEDED. T.F. GREEN AIRPORT POLICE REPORT (REF NUMBER 14-38-OF) WAS OBTAINED. THE REPORT CONTAINED A STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE TUG OPERATOR. IN HIS STATEMENT, THE TUG OPERATOR DESCRIBED THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AS LIGHT RAIN WITH WET, PACKED SNOW AND ICE IN THE IMMEDIATE RAMP AREA. THE TUG OPERATOR STATED THAT HE INITIATED PUSHBACK AND BEGAN TO SLIDE. THE TUG OPERATOR REPORTED THAT HE ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE, HOWEVER, THE PEDAL WAS UNRESPONSIVE AND TRAVELED TO IT'S MECHANICAL STOP. THE TUG OPERATOR STATED THAT HE FELT NO PRESSURE AND HAD NO BRAKES. THE TUG OPERATOR ATTEMPTED TO SET THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON THE TUG. THE TUG OPERATOR ALSO ADVISED THE CAPTAIN TO SET THE AIRCRAFT PARKING BRAKE. BOTH THE AIRCRAFT AND TUG CONTINUED TO SLIDE RESULTING IN THE TUG IMPACTING THE AIRCRAFT IN THE VICINITY OF THE LOWER PORTION OF THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE NACELLE. STATEMENTS WERE ALSO OBTAINED FROM TWO OTHER RAMP AGENTS WORKING FLIGHT 864. BOTH RAMP AGENTS STATED THAT THE PUSHBACK SPEED WAS CONSISTENT WITH NORMAL OPERATIONS GUIDELINES. ONE RAMP AGENT DESCRIBED THE RAMP SURFACE AS EXTREMELY ICY. T.F. GREEN AIRPORT POLICE EVALUATED THE TUG OPERATOR AND DETERMINED THAT HE APPEARED UNIMPAIRED. OPERATIONS PERSONNEL ASSIGNED TO WORK WITH THE TUG OPERATOR ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE TUG OPERATOR WAS UNIMPAIRED. ADDITIONALLY, T.F. GREEN AIRPORT POLICE VERIFIED THAT THE RAMP WAS CONTAMINATED WITH PACKED SNOW AND ICE. RHODE ISLAND AIRPORT CORPORATION INVESTIGATED THE INCIDENT AS WELL. THE RHODE ISLAND AIRPORT CORPORATION INVESTIGATOR ALSO CONFIRMED THE TUG OPERATOR / RAMP AGENTS' REPORT. US AIRWAYS PERSONNEL SECURED THE AIRCRAFT AND DE-PLANED ALL 124 PASSENGERS AND 5 CREWMEMBERS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN MOVED TO A CONTRACT MAINTENANCE FACILITY ON THE PVD AIRFIELD. A BOSTON FSDO INSPECTOR ARRIVED AT THE PVD AIRPORT ON THE MORNING OF 1/13/2013. THE INSPECTOR PHOTOGRAPHED THE INLET REPAIR, WHICH HAD TAKEN PLACE DURING THE DAY ON 1/12/2013. THE INSPECTOR ALSO CONFIRMED THAT THE NOSE WHEEL HAD BEEN INSPECTED BY CONTRACT MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. THE TUG INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT WAS INSPECTED BY OCEAN STATE AVIATION SERVICES, AN AIRPORT EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE FACILITY LOCATED AT PVD. OCEAN STATE AVIATION SERVICES PERSONNEL REPORTED NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES RELATED TO THE BRAKES OR HYDRAULIC SYSTEM. RECENT MAINTENANCE TO THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM SUPPLYING BOTH POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WAS COMPLETED APPROXIMATELY TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE HYDRAULIC PUMP SUPPLYING BOTH THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM AND BRAKE SYSTEM WAS CHANGED DUE TO INSUFFICIENT PRESSURES. THE TUG WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE FOR APPROXIMATELY A DAY PRIOR TO THE EVENT. NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES WERE REPORTED BETWEEN THE TUG'S RETURN TO SERVICE AND THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, OCEAN STATE AVIATION SERVICES PERSONNEL STATED THAT THE TUG IN QUESTION HAS A LOW PRESSURE WARNING SYSTEM AND TWO BACK UP ACCUMULATORS TO ASSIST IN BRAKING SHOULD HYDRAULIC PRESSURE FALL BELOW A PRE-DETERMINED LEVEL. BOTH THE WARNING SYSTEM AND ACCUMULATOR SYSTEM WERE INSPECTED AND FOUND TO BE SERVICABLE. THE AIRLINE HAS COUNSELED THE TUG OPERATOR ON SAFE OPERATIONS DURING ICING EVENTS. HE HAS BEEN ASSIGNED REMEDIAL TRAINING. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.