- Date
- October 7, 2011, 07:26 local (11:26 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 81 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Pushback/towing
- Aircraft
- N922DLMcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Defining event
- Pushback/towing: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 6, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA Delta CMU
- Case key
- 82098
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 tug driver's inadequate control of the tug while maneuvering the airplane during pushback.
Findings · 2
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 tug driver, during pushback of the airplane from the gate, he turned the airplane early in order to avoid an airplane at an adjacent gate. He further stated that he did not straighten the tug in time, and it impacted the left side of the airplane he was pushing, which resulted in substantial damage to airplane's nose landing gear support beam and a puncture in the pressure vessel. According to the pilot of the flight, during pushback, the airplane overshot the centerline and was being moved back to the centerline when he observed the tug continue aft and then heard a metallic sound. The pilot further stated that the pushback did not appear to be too fast and that there appeared to be only minor directional control problems with the tug until the impact.
Factual narrative
According to the tug driver, during pushback of the airplane from the gate, he turned the airplane early in order avoid an airplane at an adjacent gate. He further stated that he did not straighten the tug in time and impacted the airplane which resulted in substantial damage to airplane's nose landing gear support beam and a puncture in the pressure vessel. According to the pilot of the flight, during pushback the airplane overshot the centerline and was being corrected back to the line when he observed the tug continue aft and then heard a metallic sound. The pilot further stated that the pushback did not appear to be too fast and there appeared to be only minor directional control problems with the tug until the impact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N922DL
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 49646
- Airframe hours
- 62,135
- Engines
- P & W JT8D-219, 21,000 lbs thrust, turbo fanP & W JT8D-219, 21,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines Inc, doing business as Delta Airlines
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Co Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 6, 2011
- Departed
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Destination
- CMH · Columbus, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ATL · Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Int
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 19, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,903 total · 6,614 in this make and model · 4,061 as pilot in command · 171 in the last 90 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- July 15, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,970 total · 2,970 in this make and model · 222 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
- Observed at
- ATL
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 20, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 322 KB in all.