- 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.
On this page
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.
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.