# NTSB NYC06LA151: Boeing 767-300, N653UA, Dulles, VA, June 17, 2006 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 17, 2006, 15:25 local (19:25 UTC) - Place: Dulles, VA - Coordinates: 38.944999, -77.456665 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9450&lon=-77.4567&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Standing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/150) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 183 uninjured - Status: Completed, report March 26, 2007 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 63937 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC06LA151 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/63937/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC06LA151 ## Probable cause The driver's failure to follow company standard operating procedures. A factor was the driver's diverted attention to an on-time departure. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Miscellaneous/other, standing - engine(s) not operating - object - vehicle - diverted attention, driver of vehicle (contributing factor) - procedures/directives - not followed, driver of vehicle (cause) ## Analysis The airplane was at the gate with the crew and passengers onboard, the parking brake was set, and the loading bridge was retracted. A ramp employee, operating a tractor with a baggage cart in tow, was on the left side of the airplane when a pushback guideman on the right side of the airplane signaled that he needed hand wands for the pushback. Forgetting he had a baggage cart in tow, the driver drove under the fuselage to reach the guideman. In the process, the baggage cart impacted the underside of the fuselage about 25 feet aft of the nose and 17 feet in front of the wings. The driver subsequently stated to company officials that he did not follow standard operating procedures when he drove under the fuselage, and that, while trying to ensure an on-time departure, he forgot he had the baggage cart attached to the tractor. The driver was current on all required training. ## Factual narrative On June 17, 2006, about 1525 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 767-300, N653UA, operating as United Airlines flight 395, was substantially damaged when it was hit by a baggage cart at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Dulles, Virginia. The 7 crewmembers and 176 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Chicago, Illinois. The scheduled passenger flight was being operated under 14 CFR Part 121. According to a company flight safety investigator, the airplane was at the gate with the parking brake set, and the loading bridge had been retracted. A ramp employee, operating a tractor with a baggage cart in tow, was on the left side of the airplane when a pushback guideman on the right side of the airplane signaled that he needed hand wands for the pushback. Forgetting he had a baggage cart in tow, the driver drove under the fuselage to reach the guideman. In the process, the baggage cart impacted the underside of the fuselage about 25 feet aft of the nose and 17 feet in front of the wings. The driver subsequently stated to company officials that he did not follow standard operating procedures when he drove under the fuselage, and that, while trying to ensure an on-time departure, he forgot he had the baggage cart attached to the tractor. The driver was current in all required training. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N653UA](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N653UA), registered now, S/N 25391, built 1992 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Boeing 767-300 - Registry model: [Boeing 767-322](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-767-322) (registry code 1385200) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney PW4000 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pw4000-series) (registry code 52119, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 25391 - Airframe hours: 60261 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney PW4000 64500 lbs thrust turbo fan; Pratt & Whitney PW4000 64500 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Part 121 - Registered owner: United Air Lines Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, May 1, 2006 - Departed: IAD, Sterling, VA - Destination: ORD, Chicago, IL - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: IAD, Washington-Dulles ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; last flight review March 1, 2006; seat: left; flight hours: 10,557 total, 2,958 in this make and model, 218 in the last 90 days, 45 in the last 30 days - Co-pilot; age 40; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; last flight review March 1, 2006; seat: right; flight hours: 5,414 total, 2,958 in this make and model, 191 in the last 90 days, 56 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 180° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 57 °F - Altimeter: 30.13 inHg - Observed at: IAD ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20060617029759A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20060617029759A), Jun 17, 2006: Boeing 767322, Washington, DC, Substantial damage. (-23) On June 17, 2006 about 1525 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 767-300, N653UA operating as united airlines flight 395 was substantially damaged when it was… ## Other investigations on N653UA (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB DCA98RA016](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA98RA016), Jan 9, 1998: Boeing 767-322ER (N653UA), London, United Kingdom From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.