Boeing 727 N519FT
1 February 1990 · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 1 February 1990 at about 04:50 local time, a Boeing 727 registered N519FT, operated by Federal Express, was involved in an accident near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. 7 people were on board. One person on the ground also died. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 04:50
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
- Nearest airport
- Indianapolis Intl (IND)
- Coordinates
- 39.7304, -86.2908
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727
- Registration
- N519FT
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 3
- Operator
- Federal Express
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Detroit → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- CHI90FA075
People
Injuries not recorded.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured | On the ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE TUG OPERATOR'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE TUG, POSSIBLY DUE TO HAVING INADVERTENTLY PLACED OR CAUGHT HIS BUILT-UP, STEEL-TOE BOOT UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE BOEING 727 WAS CHOCKED AWAITING A TUG. A MECHANIC/RAMP EMPLOYEE BROUGHT A TUG AND TOW BAR TO THE AIRCRAFT. AFTER APPROACHING THE AIRCRAFT, HE STOPPED THE TUG, DISCONNECTED THE TOW BAR FROM THE TUG AND CONNECTED IT TO THE NOSE GEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT. HE RE-BOARDED THE TUG TO BRING IT CLOSER TO THE TOW BAR FOR ATTACHMENT. RATHER THAN STOPPING, THE TUG CONTINUED FORWARD AND CONTACTED THE BAR, WHICH SLID OFF THE FACE OF THE TUG. THE TUG CONTINUED FORWARD AND CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE, CRUSHING THE EMPLOYEE BETWEEN THE TUG AND THE AIRPLANE. THE TUG DRIVER WAS WEARING A BUILT-UP SHOE ON HIS RIGHT FOOT. TESTS SUBSEQUENT TO THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT WITH THE SHOE PLACED UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL OF THE TUG, BRAKING ACTION OF THE TUG WAS NOT SUFFICIENT TO STOP THE VEHICLE. SCUFF MARKS AND SIGNS OF SCRAPING WERE NOTED ON THE TOE OF THE BOOT, THOUGH THE SOURCE OF THE SCRAPE/SCUFF MARKS WAS NOT VERIFIED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 727 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 1990 | Boeing 727-251 | Detroit, Michigan, United States | Northwest Airlines, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Jan 1990 | Boeing 727-251 | Madison, Florida, United States | Northwest Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 13 Feb 1990 | Boeing 727-225A | Sarasota, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 1990 | Boeing 727-281 | Charleston, South Carolina, United States | Usair | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1990 | Boeing 727-231 | New York City, New York, United States | Trans World Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Dec 1990 | Boeing 727-22 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Continental Airlines | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1990 | Cessna 152 | Hagerstown, Indiana, United States | Brookville Airpark | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Apr 1990 | Nihon YS-11A-600F | West Lafayette, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1990 | Cessna 210G | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | Larry E. Bailey | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 1990 | Cessna 150F | Elkhart, Indiana, United States | VFR Fliers, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jan 1990 | Cessna 152 | Rochester, Indiana, United States | Skyways, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jan 1990 | Bell 47-G2 | Lafayette, Indiana, United States | Townsend, John R. | No injuries | - |