- Date
- October 15, 1997, 07:00 local (11:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 14 uninjured; on the ground: 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N162ZVBeech 1900D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report April 15, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971015045869A
- Case key
- 39490
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 failure to obey a stop sign and his failure to yield right-of-way to 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 First Officer was taxiing the airplane to the gate after landing. The airplane was traveling south on a taxiway when the Captain noticed a baggage tug approaching on an access road perpendicular to the taxiway from the left, traveling west. The Captain applied the brakes to stop the airplane; however, the tug continued and collided with the airplane's left wing. The tug driver said he may have lost consciousness after striking a bump in the access road. The police reported the bump was at the point where the access road intersected the taxiway, and the intersection was controlled by a stop sign on the access road. The Police Officer issued a citation to the tug driver for violation of a county ordinance, which stated, 'Aircraft always have the right-of-way in the AOA. Vehicles needing to traverse an AOA ramp shall...obey all posted signage.'
Factual narrative
On October 15, 1997, at 0700 eastern daylight time, a Beech 1900D, N162ZV, operated by Mesa Airlines, Inc., and doing business as USAir Express, was substantially damaged when it was struck by a moving baggage tug, while taxiing at the Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The vehicle rolled over and the driver sustained minor injuries. The 2 certificated airline transport pilots and 12 passengers were not injured. One passenger sustained a minor injury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the scheduled passenger flight that originated at Youngstown, Ohio, at 0635. An IFR flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.
The Captain reported in a written statement that the First Officer was taxiing the airplane to the gate after landing. The airplane was traveling south on a taxiway when the Captain noticed the baggage tug approaching on an access road from the left, traveling west. The Captain stated:
"...I noticed a fast moving vehicle westbound on an access road for bag carts that is perpendicular to the "Y" taxiway. I saw that the vehicle was not going to stop and I immediately applied the brakes [to] stop the aircraft. The bag truck collided with the left wing."
The First Officer stated he was alerted by the Captain, but never saw the vehicle.
According to the Allegheny County Police report, the baggage truck driver said he may have lost consciousness after striking a bump in the access road. The driver stated, "...the tugs have no suspension on them. When I hit the bump, I bounced...All that I remember seeing was a wing then rolling over."
The report also stated the bump was at the point where the access road intersected the taxiway, and the intersection was controlled by a stop sign on the access road.
The Police Officer reported issuing a citation to the tug driver for violation of Allegheny County Ordinance Four. Section Three. Subsection E, Air Operations Area (AOA), which stated:
"Aircraft always have the right-of-way in the AOA. Vehicles needing to traverse an AOA ramp shall...obey all posted signage."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N162ZV
- Reported as
- Beech 1900D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- UE-162
- Airframe hours
- 3,153
- Engine
- P&W PT6A, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Mesa Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- YNG · Youngstown, OH
- Destination
- PIT
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PIT · Pittsburgh International
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 6,000 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PIT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.