NYC05LA043

NTSB accident investigation · Boeing 737-247 · Covington, KY · January 17, 2005

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
January 17, 2005, 12:40 local (17:40 UTC)
Place
Covington, KY
Injuries
14 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Standing
Aircraft
N373DLBoeing 737-247
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report September 13, 2005
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
FAA Louisville FSDO, Delta Airlines
FAA report
20050117001589A
Case key
60868

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The catering truck driver's failure to maintain clearance of the parked airplane by his inadvertent depressing the accelerator. A factor in this accident was the catering truck driver's diverted attention.

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.

On ground/water collision with objectStanding
Clearance - not maintainedGround personnelCause
Diverted attentionGround personnelFactor

Analysis

The airplane was parked at a gate and boarding passengers, when it was struck on it's right side by a catering truck. Damage to the fuselage included a 6-inch, by 14-inch puncture, and several small dents. In addition, two formers and one stringer were damaged. The driver of the catering truck reported that he was approaching the airplane, when he received a radio call. While talking over the radio, he inadvertently stepped on the accelerator, and the truck subsequently struck the airplane.

Factual narrative

On January 17, 2005, about 1240 eastern standard time, a Boeing 737-247, N373DL, was substantially damaged when it was struck by a catering truck, while parked at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Covington, Kentucky. The 2 airline transport certificated flight crewmembers, 2 flight attendants, and 10 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the scheduled flight operated by Delta Airlines, as fight 583. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.

According to a representative from Delta Airlines, the airplane was parked at gate B18, and was in the process of boarding passengers, when it was struck on it's right side by a catering truck. Damage to the fuselage included a 6-inch, by 14-inch puncture, and several small dents. In addition, two formers and one stringer were damaged.

The driver of the catering truck reported that he was approaching the airplane when he received a radio call. While talking over the radio, he inadvertently stepped on the accelerator, and the truck subsequently struck the airplane. The driver had been hired about 1 month prior to the accident.

Aircraft

Registration
N373DL
Reported as
Boeing 737-247
Category
Airplane
Serial number
23520
Airframe hours
46,832
Engines
Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15A, 15,500 lbs thrust, turbo fanPratt & Whitney JT8D-15A, 15,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Part 121
Registered owner
Delta Air Lines Inc
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Transport
Last inspection
Continuous airworthiness · January 1, 2005
Departed
CVG · Covington, KY
Destination
TPA · Tampa, FL
Flight plan
IFR
Airport
CVG · Cincinnatti/Northern Kentucky

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
46
Injuries
None
Certificates
Commercial, Airline transport, Flight engineer
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
September 1, 2004
Seat
Left
Flight hours
8,513 total · 398 in this make and model · 65 in the last 90 days
Role
Co-pilot
Age
48
Injuries
None
Certificates
Airline transport, Flight engineer, Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
Last flight review
May 1, 2004
Seat
Right
Flight hours
6,960 total · 1,165 in this make and model · 174 in the last 90 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
320° at 10 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
16 °F, dew point 1 °F
Altimeter
30.64 inHg
Observed at
CVG

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.