What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
privacy data omitted Incident jfk 7/13/2025
Event description:
privacy data omitted, Bound to bogota (bog), was operated with a Boeing 787-8 departed from jfk at 19:18Z. According to an FAA incident report request, at 19:00Z, prior to pushback from terminal 4, an incident occurred in which a tug (ground vehicle) made contact with the aircraft’s right engine, resulting in a scratch on the engine cowling.
According to the pilot’s report, the flight proceeded without issues. During the pre-flight procedures, the pilot personally conducted the exterior inspection and confirmed that he did not notice any scratches on the engines or fuselage. The aircraft’s exterior condition appeared normal, and all engine instrument indications remained within normal parameters throughout the flight. Additionally, the pilot did not report receiving any information from ground personnel (either before departure or during the flight) regarding the incident.
Upon arrival in bogota, the maintenance team conducted a routine transit inspection and discovered a scratch on the right engine inlet cowl. The affected component was replaced, the required tests were performed, and the aircraft was released back to service. The aircraft resumed operations the same day, July 13, operating flightprivacy data omittedto jfk at 04:15Z.
Based on the available information, it is likely that the ground vehicle made contact with the aircraft’s right engine after the pilot had completed the exterior inspection. Although the incident reported occurred at 19:00Z, ground personnel did not report it until after the aircraft had departed. The flight proceeded without any operational issues, and the crew did not observe any abnormal indications during the flight. Upon arrival in bogota, maintenance personnel identified the scratch during the routine transit inspection, replaced the affected component, and verified the aircraft’s airworthiness through standard testing. The aircraft was returned to service the same day without further issues.
Conclusion of the event:
1. The pilot completed the aircraft exterior inspection and associated procedures, as established by Boeing and the company, approximately 15 to 20 minutes before pushback. The pilot reported that the inspection was normal, no scratches were detected, and the flight was completed without incident.
2. The scratch was first identified upon the arrival of flight privacy data omitted in bogota by the maintenance team during the standard post-flight exterior inspection, which is why the pilot was not informed before the end of the flight.
3. Maintenance informed jfk station management of the incident and requested an investigation.
4. Jfk station management conducted the investigation, which produced the following findings:
• It was determined that during the removal of ground handling equipment, a tug made contact with the right engine, causing a scratch.
• The ramp leader did not detect the scratch on the right engine cowling during the exterior inspection immediately before pushback, after the removal of the ground equipment and tugs.
• Considering that ground handling operations at jfk are performed by an external provider, the findings were reported to this provider so that corrective actions could be implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.
As the FAA filed it
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ INCIDENT JFK 7/13/2025
EVENT DESCRIPTION:
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, BOUND TO BOGOTA (BOG), WAS OPERATED WITH A BOEING 787-8 DEPARTED FROM JFK AT 19:18Z. ACCORDING TO AN FAA INCIDENT REPORT REQUEST, AT 19:00Z, PRIOR TO PUSHBACK FROM TERMINAL 4, AN INCIDENT OCCURRED IN WHICH A TUG (GROUND VEHICLE) MADE CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT’S RIGHT ENGINE, RESULTING IN A SCRATCH ON THE ENGINE COWLING.
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT’S REPORT, THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED WITHOUT ISSUES. DURING THE PRE-FLIGHT PROCEDURES, THE PILOT PERSONALLY CONDUCTED THE EXTERIOR INSPECTION AND CONFIRMED THAT HE DID NOT NOTICE ANY SCRATCHES ON THE ENGINES OR FUSELAGE. THE AIRCRAFT’S EXTERIOR CONDITION APPEARED NORMAL, AND ALL ENGINE INSTRUMENT INDICATIONS REMAINED WITHIN NORMAL PARAMETERS THROUGHOUT THE FLIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, THE PILOT DID NOT REPORT RECEIVING ANY INFORMATION FROM GROUND PERSONNEL (EITHER BEFORE DEPARTURE OR DURING THE FLIGHT) REGARDING THE INCIDENT.
UPON ARRIVAL IN BOGOTA, THE MAINTENANCE TEAM CONDUCTED A ROUTINE TRANSIT INSPECTION AND DISCOVERED A SCRATCH ON THE RIGHT ENGINE INLET COWL. THE AFFECTED COMPONENT WAS REPLACED, THE REQUIRED TESTS WERE PERFORMED, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED BACK TO SERVICE. THE AIRCRAFT RESUMED OPERATIONS THE SAME DAY, JULY 13, OPERATING FLIGHT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^TO JFK AT 04:15Z.
BASED ON THE AVAILABLE INFORMATION, IT IS LIKELY THAT THE GROUND VEHICLE MADE CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT’S RIGHT ENGINE AFTER THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED THE EXTERIOR INSPECTION. ALTHOUGH THE INCIDENT REPORTED OCCURRED AT 19:00Z, GROUND PERSONNEL DID NOT REPORT IT UNTIL AFTER THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED. THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED WITHOUT ANY OPERATIONAL ISSUES, AND THE CREW DID NOT OBSERVE ANY ABNORMAL INDICATIONS DURING THE FLIGHT. UPON ARRIVAL IN BOGOTA, MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL IDENTIFIED THE SCRATCH DURING THE ROUTINE TRANSIT INSPECTION, REPLACED THE AFFECTED COMPONENT, AND VERIFIED THE AIRCRAFT’S AIRWORTHINESS THROUGH STANDARD TESTING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE THE SAME DAY WITHOUT FURTHER ISSUES.
CONCLUSION OF THE EVENT:
1. THE PILOT COMPLETED THE AIRCRAFT EXTERIOR INSPECTION AND ASSOCIATED PROCEDURES, AS ESTABLISHED BY BOEING AND THE COMPANY, APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 MINUTES BEFORE PUSHBACK. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE INSPECTION WAS NORMAL, NO SCRATCHES WERE DETECTED, AND THE FLIGHT WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT INCIDENT.
2. THE SCRATCH WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED UPON THE ARRIVAL OF FLIGHT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IN BOGOTA BY THE MAINTENANCE TEAM DURING THE STANDARD POST-FLIGHT EXTERIOR INSPECTION, WHICH IS WHY THE PILOT WAS NOT INFORMED BEFORE THE END OF THE FLIGHT.
3. MAINTENANCE INFORMED JFK STATION MANAGEMENT OF THE INCIDENT AND REQUESTED AN INVESTIGATION.
4. JFK STATION MANAGEMENT CONDUCTED THE INVESTIGATION, WHICH PRODUCED THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS:
• IT WAS DETERMINED THAT DURING THE REMOVAL OF GROUND HANDLING EQUIPMENT, A TUG MADE CONTACT WITH THE RIGHT ENGINE, CAUSING A SCRATCH.
• THE RAMP LEADER DID NOT DETECT THE SCRATCH ON THE RIGHT ENGINE COWLING DURING THE EXTERIOR INSPECTION IMMEDIATELY BEFORE PUSHBACK, AFTER THE REMOVAL OF THE GROUND EQUIPMENT AND TUGS.
• CONSIDERING THAT GROUND HANDLING OPERATIONS AT JFK ARE PERFORMED BY AN EXTERNAL PROVIDER, THE FINDINGS WERE REPORTED TO THIS PROVIDER SO THAT CORRECTIVE ACTIONS COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO PREVENT SIMILAR INCIDENTS IN THE FUTURE.