Narrative:A United Airlines Boeing 757-200, N589UA, was impacted by the boom of a de-icing truck while it was standing in position on the ramp with the engines running. There were no injuries, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was preparing to depart for Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, Illinois.
After completing de-icing procedures on a company Boeing 757-200, the driver of the de-icing truck maneuvered his truck in a manner that caused the de-icing basket boom to impact the trailing edge of the aircraft's left aileron. The boom penetrated the aileron to a depth of almost two feet and damaged its spar. The investigation revealed that while backing out from his position behind the aircraft's left wing, the driver had inadvertently turned his steering wheel in a direction that caused the boom, which is mounted on the back end of the truck, to converge on the trailing edge of the aileron.
Probable Cause:
The failure of the deicing truck driver to insure that the deicing basket boom remained clear of the aircraft structure as he backed away from the position he had been in while performing deicing procedures.
Accident investigation:
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Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Duration: | 93 days (3 months) | Accident number: | SEA02LA049 | Download report: | Summary report
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Classification:
Damaged on the ground
Sources:
» NTSB
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, WA to Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL as the crow flies is 2742 km (1714 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.