- Date
- July 26, 1988, 08:19 local (14:19 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N1973Boeing 727-100
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880726030849I
- Case key
- 17395
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While taxiing to the cargo ramp, the left wing collided with a lightpole as the flight crew were directed by gnd pers. One taxi director attempted to handoff the flight to another but the second misunderstood and turned away. A third person, who was not a taxi director but was a safety lookout, began to give taxi signals and the flightcrew followed him. This person determined that the wing would clear the pole and directed a turn. He believed the flightcrew did not turn as rapidly as he had directed, resulting in the wing contacting the pole. The safety lookout said he attempted to stop the acft but he was out of view under the acft nose and had to run out 15 feet to be seen by the flightcrew. The wingtips are difficult to see from the 727 cockpit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1973
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-100
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18429
- Engine
- P&W JT8D, 14,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Connie Kallitta Services
- Registered owner
- Meridian Bank Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- LCK · Columbus, OH
- Destination
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DEN · Stapleton Int'L, runway 26R, 6,697 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 18,000 total · 13,500 in this make and model · 160 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEN, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.