- Date
- November 2, 2010, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Injuries
- 41 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N454SWBombardier CL-600-2B19
- Defining event
- Standing: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 20, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- SkyWest Airlines, FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 77725
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 ground crew’s failure to detach the air-starter hose from the airplane before moving the cart away resulting in structural damage to a skin panel.
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
According to the operator, the airplane was parked at the gate preparing to be pushed back when the damage occurred. A ground crew worker had connected an air-starter cart to the airplane, and then determined that the air cart was not functioning properly. The worker attempted to pull the cart away from the airplane without disconnecting the hose, resulting in substantial damage to the skin panels on the left, lower side of the airplane's fuselage.
Factual narrative
According to the operator, the airplane was parked at the gate preparing to push back for a revenue flight when the damage occurred. A ground crew worker had connected an air-starter cart to the airplane, and then determined that it was not functioning properly. The worker attempted to pull the cart away from the airplane without disconnecting the hose, resulting in substantial damage to the skin panels on the left, lower side of the airplane's fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N454SW
- Reported as
- Bombardier CL-600-2B19
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7749
- Airframe hours
- 20,042
- Engines
- GE CF34-3B1, 9,140 lbs thrust, turbo fanGE CF34-3B1, 9,140 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- SkyWest Airlines
- Registered owner
- Wells Fargo Bank Northwest N A Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 31, 2010
- Departed
- PIT · Pittsburgh, PA
- Destination
- MSP · Minneapolis, MN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PIT · Pttsburgh International Airpor
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
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 29, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,328 total · 3,278 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 11, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,979 total · 3,146 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 40° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- PIT
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 3, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB in all.