- Date
- February 25, 2006, 19:15 local (Feb 26, 2006, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Boston, MA
- Injuries
- 146 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N697DLBoeing 757-232
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 26, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-01
- FAA report
- 20060225002549A
- Case key
- 63274
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 deice vehicle driver's failure to maintain clearance from a standing airplane, which resulted in a collision between the deice vehicle and left elevator of the airplane.
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 driver of a deice vehicle, and a ground employee in the bucket of the deice vehicle, were spraying the accident airplane. At the completion of the deice operation, the driver of the deice vehicle began to drive away from the airplane. The ground employee in the bucket of the deice vehicle then observed ice accumulation on the vertical stabilizer. As the driver of the deice vehicle initiated a turn back toward the airplane, the boom of the deice vehicle struck the airplane, resulting in substantial damage to the left elevator.
Factual narrative
On February 25, 2006, about 1915 eastern standard time, a Boeing 757-232, N697DL, operated by Delta Air Lines Inc., as flight 2030, was substantially damaged, when it was struck by a ground vehicle, while standing near gate A16 at General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts. There were no injuries to the 2 certificated airline transport pilots, 4 flight attendants, and 140 passengers. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the planned flight to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW), Fort Myers, Florida. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the air carrier flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.
The airplane had been pushed back about 5 feet from the gate, and was being deiced.
According to the driver of a deice vehicle, he and a ground employee in the bucket of the deice vehicle, were spraying the accident airplane. At the completion of the deice operation, the driver of the deice vehicle began to drive away from the airplane. The ground employee in the bucket of the deice vehicle then observed ice accumulation on the vertical stabilizer. As the driver of the deice vehicle initiated a turn back toward the airplane, the boom of the deice vehicle struck the airplane, resulting in substantial damage to the left elevator.
The reported weather at BOS, at 1854, was: wind from 130 degrees at 3 knots; visibility 9 miles; overcast ceiling at 1,200 feet; temperature 27 degrees F; dew point 23 degrees F; altimeter 29.82 inches Hg.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N697DL
- Reported as
- Boeing 757-232
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30318
- Airframe hours
- 22,539
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney 2037, 38,200 lbs thrust, turbo fanPratt & Whitney 2037, 38,200 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Delta Air Lines Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · February 1, 2006
- Departed
- BOS · Boston, MA
- Destination
- RSW · Fort Myers, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BOS · General Edward Lawrence Logan
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
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,363 total · 4,551 in this make and model · 237 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2005
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,825 total · 344 in this make and model · 245 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 27 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- BOS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.