Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Washington-Dulles Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Washington, District Of Columbia 20041
Monday, August 1, 1994 17:45 EDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE COMMUTER AIRPLANE WAS PARKED AT THE GATE WITH 50 SEATED PASSENGERS, AND A CREW OF THREE. THE ENGINES WERE STOPPED, THE CHOCKS WERE IN PLACE, THE PILOTS WERE SEATED IN THE COCKPIT COMPLETING PAPER WORK, AND THE AIRSTAIR DOOR WAS OPEN. A BAGGAGE TRACTOR (DH4) HAD BROKEN DOWN, AND THE OPERATOR ASKED ANOTHER BAGGAGE TRACTOR OPERATOR (DH65), TO PUSH HIM TO THE END OF THE RAMP TO AWAIT SERVICE. DH65 BEGAN PUSHING DH4, WHICH STEERED TO PASS 15 TO 20 FEET TO THE LEFT OF THE AIRPLANE. AS DH4 ENTERED THE SERVICE ROAD, IT BEGAN TO TURN RIGHT TO HEAD WEST. AT THIS POINT, DH65 HAD NOT YET ENTERED THE SERVICE ROAD AND CONTINUED SOUTHWESTERLY FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEW FEET. AT THIS TIME, THE LEFT SIDE OF DH65'S FRONT HITCH, CONTACTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF DH4'S REAR HITCH. THE HITCH CONTACT JERKED THE FRONT OF DH65 TO THE RIGHT WHICH CAUSED THE DRIVER TO BE PITCHED HALFWAY OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF DH65. AS THE DRIVER FELL, HIS HAND PULLED DOWN ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND HIS FOOT PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. DH65 THEN VEERED INTO THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
THE VEHICLE OPERATOR'S IMPROPER HANDLING OF THE BAGGAGE TRACTOR RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL OF A SECOND BAGGAGE TRACTOR BEING PUSHED AND ITS SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE AIRPLANE.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 8/1/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1745 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Event City | WASHINGTON |
| Event State | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 20041 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 8 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | WASHINGTON-DULLES |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | IAD |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 313 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1652 Eastern Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | IAD |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 313 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | EDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2700 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 29 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 23 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 230 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 3 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 1 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 1 |
| Injury Total None | 53 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 605 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Aug 2 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1215 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 12:02PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N433AW |
| NTSB Number | NYC94LA144 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 121: Air Carrier |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | de Havilland |
| Aircraft Model | DHC-8-311 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | DHC-8-311 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 305 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 41000 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 53 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 18 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 122 |
| Airframe Hours | 6283 |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | AIR WISCONSIN INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 203 CHALLENGER DRIVE |
| Aircraft Owner City | APPLETON |
| Aircraft Owner State | WI |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 54915 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | ATLANTIC COAST AIRLINES |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 1 EXPORT DRIVE |
| Operator City | STERLING |
| Operator State | VA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 20164 |
| Operator Code | VTZA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Standing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |