Beechcraft 1900D N202UX

Summary

On 4 January 2005 at about 02:34 local time, a Beechcraft 1900D registered N202UX was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 16 people were on board. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 January 2005 at 02:34

Classification

Incident

Location

Denver, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Denver Internationl (DEN)

Coordinates

39.8493, -104.6999

Aircraft

Beechcraft 1900D

Registration

N202UX

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denver → Denver

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

DEN05IA046

Injuries not recorded.

the tug driver's failure to maintain operational control of the tug, resulting in impact with an airplane. Contributing factors include the tug driver's improper procedure, the tug driver's inadequate initial ground equipment training, and the company/operator's inadequate certification/approval of the tug driver.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to witnesses, the tug was parked behind the left wing of the airplane, facing in the opposite direction, with its engine running. The airplane's engines were not running. When the tug operator "jumped" onto the tug, he lost his footing and slipped. As he grabbed for something to catch his balance, his right arm hit the tug's gearshift lever. As the tug started moving forward in a right turn, the tug operator's left foot became caught between the tug's frame and left rear tire. The tug circled around the left wing tip of the airplane and it struck the left engine nacelle. The tug operator's foot became wedged between the tug and the airplane's stairs, resulting in a sprained left ankle and a few minor lacerations. The airplane sustained minor damage to the left engine nacelle and one propeller blade. According to the FAA, the tug operator's training records did not reflect the tug operator's qualifications to operate ground equipment, including the gas powered Kubota tug involved in this incident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.