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20180822012089I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR · New York, NY · August 22, 2018

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 22, 2018 · 15:45 local
Place
New York, NY
Airport
Laguardia
Phase of flight
Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
R61A
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N429YX
Reported as
Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LR
Reported engine
GE CF34-8E5
People aboard
56
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
5,419 total
N429YXRegistered now · Embraer S A ERJ 170-200 LRS/N 17000408 · Built 2014Airframe modelEmbraer S A ERJ 170-200 LREngine modelGE CF34-8E5Turbo-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.

08/22/18 During pushback the tug door swung open and punctured the radome, maintenance determined that no underlying damage to the structure occurred. Maintenance completed the removal and installation of the radome and documented it on logpage R482967. Maintenance returned the aircraft to service.

The pushback team were comprised of American airlines employees and they participated in a post damage conference call with the station leadership, R61A and aala safety. According to R61A they will allow aala to handle the corrective actions with their own employee group. Aala has committed to the following corrective actions:

Tractor driver was drug and alcohol tested and withheld from duty pending results.

Push tractor PS120 was taken out of service pending a safety inspection.

A post damage investigative call was conducted by safety with the push crew employed, union representatives, corporate safety and lga customer operation leadership.

Preventative measures: customer operations will send out an incident briefing letter to alert the push teams of the damage and as a reminder to follow established procedures.

An additional safety alert on the incident will be created, distributed and briefed with all local ramp employees.

No further action is required.

This event meets the incident criteria per FAA order 8020.11D.

This event was promoted to an incident due to the damage to the aircraft. Inspectors from lga provided details of the on-scene investigation below:

Reference ptrs EA15201804406 for on-scene occurrence investigation.

New York, NY (lga): RPA5907, N429YX, E75S, lga-rdu, while being pushed back from the gate, the tug door struck the nose cone. Aircraft was pushed back to the gate and another aircraft was substituted for the flight. POB: 52, injuries: none, damage: extent unknown. 08/22/2018 1945Z. Performed an on-site investigation at lga airport. Spoke to local mx manager and inspected both aircraft and tug. On push back during a turn when tug door opened contacted aircraft radome. Safety recommendation to prevent this kind of damage again is to use a low profile push back tug or remove doors from the tugs that are presently being used. Also observed several other tugs with plastic screen doors with a zipper which is preferred. Crew item - nose radome received punctured composite skin. Mx corrective action-r/r radome per amm 53-14-00-400-801-A.

As the FAA filed it

08/22/18 DURING PUSHBACK THE TUG DOOR SWUNG OPEN AND PUNCTURED THE RADOME, MAINTENANCE DETERMINED THAT NO UNDERLYING DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURE OCCURRED. MAINTENANCE COMPLETED THE REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION OF THE RADOME AND DOCUMENTED IT ON LOGPAGE R482967. MAINTENANCE RETURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO SERVICE.

THE PUSHBACK TEAM WERE COMPRISED OF AMERICAN AIRLINES EMPLOYEES AND THEY PARTICIPATED IN A POST DAMAGE CONFERENCE CALL WITH THE STATION LEADERSHIP, R61A AND AALA SAFETY. ACCORDING TO R61A THEY WILL ALLOW AALA TO HANDLE THE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS WITH THEIR OWN EMPLOYEE GROUP. AALA HAS COMMITTED TO THE FOLLOWING CORRECTIVE ACTIONS:

TRACTOR DRIVER WAS DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTED AND WITHHELD FROM DUTY PENDING RESULTS.

PUSH TRACTOR PS120 WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE PENDING A SAFETY INSPECTION.

A POST DAMAGE INVESTIGATIVE CALL WAS CONDUCTED BY SAFETY WITH THE PUSH CREW EMPLOYED, UNION REPRESENTATIVES, CORPORATE SAFETY AND LGA CUSTOMER OPERATION LEADERSHIP.

PREVENTATIVE MEASURES: CUSTOMER OPERATIONS WILL SEND OUT AN INCIDENT BRIEFING LETTER TO ALERT THE PUSH TEAMS OF THE DAMAGE AND AS A REMINDER TO FOLLOW ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES.

AN ADDITIONAL SAFETY ALERT ON THE INCIDENT WILL BE CREATED, DISTRIBUTED AND BRIEFED WITH ALL LOCAL RAMP EMPLOYEES.

NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUIRED.

THIS EVENT MEETS THE INCIDENT CRITERIA PER FAA ORDER 8020.11D.

THIS EVENT WAS PROMOTED TO AN INCIDENT DUE TO THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. INSPECTORS FROM LGA PROVIDED DETAILS OF THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION BELOW:

REFERENCE PTRS EA15201804406 FOR ON-SCENE OCCURRENCE INVESTIGATION.

NEW YORK, NY (LGA): RPA5907, N429YX, E75S, LGA-RDU, WHILE BEING PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE, THE TUG DOOR STRUCK THE NOSE CONE. AIRCRAFT WAS PUSHED BACK TO THE GATE AND ANOTHER AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTITUTED FOR THE FLIGHT. POB: 52, INJURIES: NONE, DAMAGE: EXTENT UNKNOWN. 08/22/2018 1945Z. PERFORMED AN ON-SITE INVESTIGATION AT LGA AIRPORT. SPOKE TO LOCAL MX MANAGER AND INSPECTED BOTH AIRCRAFT AND TUG. ON PUSH BACK DURING A TURN WHEN TUG DOOR OPENED CONTACTED AIRCRAFT RADOME. SAFETY RECOMMENDATION TO PREVENT THIS KIND OF DAMAGE AGAIN IS TO USE A LOW PROFILE PUSH BACK TUG OR REMOVE DOORS FROM THE TUGS THAT ARE PRESENTLY BEING USED. ALSO OBSERVED SEVERAL OTHER TUGS WITH PLASTIC SCREEN DOORS WITH A ZIPPER WHICH IS PREFERRED.CREW ITEM - NOSE RADOME RECEIVED PUNCTURED COMPOSITE SKIN.MX CORRECTIVE ACTION-R/R RADOME PER AMM 53-14-00-400-801-A.