Boeing 727 N282SC
28 May 1999 · Sterling, Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 May 1999 at about 19:10 local time, a Boeing 727 registered N282SC, operated by Sun Country Airlines, was involved in an accident near Sterling, Virginia, United States. 90 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Sterling, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Washington Dulles (IAD)
- Coordinates
- 38.9899, -77.4601
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727
- Registration
- N282SC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 3
- Operator
- Sun Country Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Minneapolis
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC99LA127
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
Probable cause
Inadequate visual lookout by the tug operator. A factor in this accident was inadequate pushback procedures by the airline which failed to provide proper assistance (wing walkers) to the tug operator.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Boeing 727 was being pushed back by one person, who operated the pushback tug. The tug operator waited for an Airbus to approach the gate next to the pushback airplane and then began the pushback procedure. A catering truck was stopped behind the left wing of the 727, while the truck's driver waited for the Airbus to shut down it's engines. The catering truck driver stated, 'My partner yelled, 'He's moving or something' and instantly I tried to accelerate, but at the same time we were struck on the side and we were turning over...' Ramp personnel in the area observed the airplane heading towards the parked catering truck, and attempted to alert the tug operator. The Boeing 727's left wing struck the aft section of the catering truck. The airplane's left aileron and left wing tip were damaged. The distance from the airplane's left wingtip when parked at the gate, to the north edge of the service road where the catering truck was stopped, was about 75 feet.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 727 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Mar 1999 | Boeing 727-200 | Calgary, Canada | Delta Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jan 1999 | Boeing 727-200 | New York, New York, United States | American Trans Air | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 1999 | Boeing 727-200 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jul 1999 | Boeing 727-243F | Kathmandu, Nepal | Lufthansa Cargo Airlines/Hinduja | Fatal | 5 |
| 27 Nov 1999 | Boeing 727-232 | Flushing, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 1999 | Boeing 727-225A | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-108 | Manassas, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jan 1999 | Piper PA-60-602P | Lynchburg, Virginia, United States | Herbert Frazier II | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Beechcraft BE-23 | Blacksburg, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Dec 1999 | Prudhomme VELOCITY RG 173 | Richmond, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 1999 | Coughlin LONG-EZ | Remington, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 29 Dec 1999 | Beechcraft C-23 | Manassas, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |