Individually Owned: 151,845
Corporate Owned: 143,699
Tupelo Regional Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Tupelo, Mississippi 38801
Tuesady, July 16, 2002 9:30 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
According to numerous eyewitnesses, the airline ramp agent marshaled the arriving Saab-340B to its parking spot, chocked the nose wheel, and was in the process of delivering flight papers to the captain's access port when the papers blew out of her breast pocket. As she tried to retrieve the loose papers, her right hand contacted the winding down left propeller, and her thumb and two fingers were severed. Her manager characterized the cause as a case of impulse reactiveness on the part of the ramp agent in spite of having been trained on ground handling of the Saab 340 aircraft.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The failure of the ground agent to follow procedures and directives and to maintain a visual lookout due to a diversion of attention caused by paperwork being sucked toward the rotating propeller, resulting in collision between her hand and the propeller.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 7/16/2002 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 930 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Tupelo |
| Event State | MISSISSIPPI |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 38801 |
| Event Date Year | 2002 |
| Event Date Month | 7 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 341605N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0884612W |
| Event Location Airport | Tupelo Regional |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | TUP |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 346 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 953 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | TUP |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 346 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | -- |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 800 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 26 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 23 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 290 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 6 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.16 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | METAR KTUP 161453Z 29006KT 10SM SCT008 26/23 A3016 |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 1 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 12540 |
| NTSB Notification Source | NTSB, SEFA |
| NTSB Notification Date | Jul 16 2002 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1140 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2002 3:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\MONR |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Jackson FSDO |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N403XJ |
| NTSB Number | MIA02LA134 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 121: Air Carrier |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | None |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Saab-Scania AB (Saab) |
| Aircraft Model | SF340B |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 403 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 29000 |
| 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 | 37 |
| Number of Engines | 2 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jun 7 2002 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 343 |
| Airframe Hours | 14417 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Wachovia Bank NA, Trustee |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 230 S. Tryon St. Fl 9 |
| Aircraft Owner City | Charlotte |
| Aircraft Owner State | NC |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 28202 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | Mesaba Airlines |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 7501 26th Av. South |
| Operator City | Minneapolis |
| Operator State | MN |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 55450 |
| Operator Code | MALA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | -- |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| 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/Cargo |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | -- |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | MEM |
| Departure City | Memphis |
| Departure State | TN |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 835 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | TUP |
| Destination City | Tupelo |
| Destination State | MS |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Standing - engine(s) operating |
| Report sent to ICAO? | Yes |
| Evacuation occurred | No |
| Date of most recent change to record | Oct 25 2002 11:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | KENJ |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | -- |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |