Détails:
Frontier Airlines flight 450, an Airbus A320-214, N220FR, was struck by the tug during pushback operations at Denver International Airport (KDEN), Denver, Colorado. There were no injuries and the airplane received substantial damage.
According to flight crew statements, the crew advised the tug driver they were cleared to push back, either tail east or straight back. At the time of the accident, dark night conditions existed and the ramp was contaminated with snow. During the pushback, the flight crew started No. 1 and 2 engines. The tug driver pushed the airplane back with its empennage towards the east and then notified the captain that he would pull forward to straighten them out. As the tug driver pulled the airplane forward and was coming to a stop the airplane's nose began to drift to the left. The tug detached from the airplane and impacted the right forward fuselage and right engine air intake resulting in substantial damage. The captain noted that the nose swung to the left, and then said it felt as if the airplane was moving backwards. According to the operator, on the morning of the accident, the ramp management company had instructed their ground personnel that all pushbacks should be straight back pushes due to the snowy conditions. It is likely that the angle of the towbar from pushing the airplane back to the east, combined with the snow contaminated ramp and the engine idle thrust, caused the tug driver to lose control of the tug during the pushback.
Probable Cause: loss of control of the tug by the driver during pushback operations as a result of the contaminated ramp, angle of the towbar, and the airplane engines being at idle thrust.
| Statuts: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | lundi 28 janvier 2019 |
| Heure: | 06:17 |
| Type/Sous-type: |  Airbus A320-214 (WL) |
| Compagnie: | Frontier Airlines |
| Immatriculation: | N220FR |
| Numéro de série: | 5661 |
| Année de Fabrication: | 2013 |
| Equipage: | victimes: 0 / à bord: 6 |
| Passagers: | victimes: 0 / à bord: 120 |
| Total: | victimes: 0 / à bord: 126 |
| Dégats de l'appareil: | Substantiels |
| Lieu de l'accident: | Denver International Airport, CO (DEN) ( Etats-Unis d'Amérique)
|
| Phase de vol: | Tracté (PBT) |
| Nature: | Transport de Passagers Nat. |
| Aéroport de départ: | Denver International Airport, CO (DEN/KDEN), Etats-Unis d'Amérique |
| Buffalo-Greater Buffalo International Airport, NY (BUF/KBUF), Etats-Unis d'Amérique | |
| Numéro de vol: | 450 |
Frontier Airlines flight 450, an Airbus A320-214, N220FR, was struck by the tug during pushback operations at Denver International Airport (KDEN), Denver, Colorado. There were no injuries and the airplane received substantial damage.
According to flight crew statements, the crew advised the tug driver they were cleared to push back, either tail east or straight back. At the time of the accident, dark night conditions existed and the ramp was contaminated with snow. During the pushback, the flight crew started No. 1 and 2 engines. The tug driver pushed the airplane back with its empennage towards the east and then notified the captain that he would pull forward to straighten them out. As the tug driver pulled the airplane forward and was coming to a stop the airplane's nose began to drift to the left. The tug detached from the airplane and impacted the right forward fuselage and right engine air intake resulting in substantial damage. The captain noted that the nose swung to the left, and then said it felt as if the airplane was moving backwards. According to the operator, on the morning of the accident, the ramp management company had instructed their ground personnel that all pushbacks should be straight back pushes due to the snowy conditions. It is likely that the angle of the towbar from pushing the airplane back to the east, combined with the snow contaminated ramp and the engine idle thrust, caused the tug driver to lose control of the tug during the pushback.
Probable Cause:
Probable Cause: loss of control of the tug by the driver during pushback operations as a result of the contaminated ramp, angle of the towbar, and the airplane engines being at idle thrust.
Accident investigation:
|
Photos
Plan
Ce plan montre l'aéroport de départ ainsi que la supposée destination du vol. La ligne fixe reliant les deux aéroports n'est pas le plan de vol exact.
La distance entre Denver International Airport, CO et Buffalo-Greater Buffalo International Airport, NY est de 2167 km (1354 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
La distance entre Denver International Airport, CO et Buffalo-Greater Buffalo International Airport, NY est de 2167 km (1354 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Les informations ci-dessus ne représentent pas l'opinion de la 'Flight Safety Foundation' ou de 'Aviation Safety Network' sur les causes de l'accident. Ces informations prélimimaires sont basées sur les faits tel qu'ils sont connus à ce jour.
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
