# Incident 20140313002389I: Airbus A-340, Dulles, VA, March 13, 2014

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 13, 2014, 17:20 local time
- Place: Dulles, VA
- Airport: Washington Dulles Internationa
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
- Operating rules: Foreign air carrier (Part 129)
- Operator: SOFF
- Location: 38.9445° N, 77.4558° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9445&lon=-77.4558&mi=10
- Aircraft: Z-SSXG (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: AIRBUS A-340
- People aboard: 216
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140313002389I

## Narrative

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

ON 3/12/14 AT 1720 A SWISSPORT RAMP EMPLOYEE DROVE A BELTLOADER FROM AVIANCA GATE TO THE SOUTH AFRICAN GATE. AS HE APPROACHED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SA AIRCRAFT HE WAS INSTRUCTED TO POSITION THE BELTLOADER AT THE AFT BULK PIT.  DRIVER WAS BEING MARSHALLED BY ANOTHER RAMP AGENT.  WHEN HE CAME TO THE FINAL STOP ABOUT 2 FEET FROM AIRCRAFT THE MARSHALLER INSTRUCTED HIM TO RAISE THE BELT.  WHILE RAISING THE BELT THE DRIVER SAID HE HAD HIS RIGHT FOOT ON THE BRAKE.  AFTER THE BELT WAS RAISED THE MARSHALLER INSTRUCTED THE DRIVER TO COME FORWARD AND TURN SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT.  THE DRIVER PUT HIS FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THE BELTLOADER ACCELERATED TOWARDS AND UNDER THE AIRCRAFT.  THE  MARSHALLER JUMPED OUT OF THE WAY AND WAS NOT INJURED.  THE DRIVER STOPPED THE BELTLOADER AFTER IT HAD GONE UNDER THE AIRCRAFT AND STRUCK THE UNDER PORTION OF THE FUSELAGE CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE.

NOTE: AT SOME POINT DURING THIS OPERATION THE BELTLOADER OPERATOR PUT THE GEAR SHIFT IN NEUTRAL.  WHEN THE DRIVER PUT THE BELTLOADER BACK INTO GEAR HE STARTED MOVING FORWARD AND ACTUALLY HIT THE ACCELERATOR INSTEAD OF THE BRAKE.

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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