- Date
- February 3, 2012, 17:05 local (Feb 4, 2012, 00:05 UTC)
- Place
- San Francisco, CA
- Injuries
- 52 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N912SWBombardier CL600 2B19
- Defining event
- Standing: Aircraft servicing event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- SkyWest Airlines
- Case key
- 82833
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the driver's failure to ensure that the belt loader was clear of the airplane before turning.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
On February 3, 2012, about 1717 Pacific daylight time, SkyWest Airlines flight 6261, a Bombardier CL600-2B19, N912SW, was impacted by a belt loader at San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California, while parked at the gate and ready for pushback. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew members onboard and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 as a scheduled domestic passenger flight to Mahlon Sweet Field Airport, Eugene, Oregon. After the boarding process was complete, the flight crew was informed that a belt loader had struck the airplane. According to the operator, the driver of the belt loader that had been parked at the rear cargo door believed there was sufficient room between the loader and the airplane to make a forward right turn instead of backing up. However, the front left corner of the loader impacted the airplane during the turn and caused substantial damage to the skin, stringers and a frame.
Factual narrative
On February 3, 2012, about 1717 Pacific daylight time, SkyWest Airlines flight 6261, a Bombardier CL600-2B19, N912SW, was impacted by a belt loader at San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California, while parked at the gate and ready for pushback. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew members onboard and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 as a scheduled domestic passenger flight to Mahlon Sweet Field Airport, Eugene, Oregon. After the boarding process was complete, the flight crew was informed that a belt loader had struck the airplane. According to the operator, the driver of the belt loader that had been parked at the rear cargo door believed there was sufficient room between the loader and the airplane to make a forward right turn instead of backing up. However, the front left corner of the loader impacted the airplane during the turn and caused substantial damage to the skin, stringers and a frame.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N912SW
- Reported as
- Bombardier CL600 2B19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7595
- Airframe hours
- 26,289
- Engines
- General Electric CF34-3B1, 8,729 lbs thrust, turbo fanGeneral Electric CF34-3B1, 8,729 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- SkyWest Airlines
- Registered owner
- Wells Fargo Bank NA Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 7, 2012
- Departed
- KSFO · San Francisco, CA
- Destination
- KEUG · Eugene, OR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KSFO · San Francisco International
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 10, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,548 total · 4,233 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 22, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,034 total · 1,739 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SFO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 23, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.