Boeing 737 3H4 N368SW

Summary

On 5 August 2016 at about 01:02 local time, a Boeing 737 3H4 registered N368SW, operated by Southwest Airlines, was involved in an accident near Baltimore, Maryland, United States. 134 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.

Date

5 August 2016 at 01:02

Classification

Accident

Location

Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Baltimore/Thurgood Marshall In (KBWI)

Coordinates

39.0000, -76.0000

Aircraft

Boeing 737 3H4

Registration

N368SW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1993

Engines

2

Operator

Southwest Airlines

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baltimore → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DCA16CA207

Nobody was injured.

the tug operators excessive speed during pushback.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On August 4, 2016 at 9:02pm eastern daylight time, Southwest Airlines flight 149, a Boeing 737, N368SW, experienced a failure of the nose landing gear during pushback from the gate at the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI), Baltimore, Maryland.  The aircraft was substantially damaged and there were no injuries to the 6 crewmembers or 129 passengers but the airplane was substantially damaged.  The flight was being operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight to Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. According to the flight crew, as the pushback tug was maneuvering the aircraft off the gate, the flight crew felt the front of the airplane bounce up and down, and then came to rest on the nose.  The passengers were deplaned via air stairs. The nose gear collapsed in a forward direction, resulting in substantial damage to the gear structure, the nose gear well, and crushing the forward bulkhead.  An airport surveillance camera video was obtained, which showed the tug pushing the aircraft at approximately 6 knots.  The tug specifications indicate that speed could be achieved only in second gear or higher.  The airline general operating manual specifies that pushback must be conducted in low or first gear, and at a walking speed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.