NTSB CAROL · Event
Event DCA17CA072
Registry · N7822A
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BOEING 737-76N
Year of manufacture
2001 · 16 years old at event
Engine
CFM INTL CFM56-7B22
Seats / Engines
149 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
20150109
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AA9A93
Registrant of record
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
the catering agent's lack of situational awareness when exiting the airplane that resulted in a serious injury.
Factual narrative
On February 11, 2017, about 1950 mountain standard time, Southwest Airlines flight 4152, a Boeing 737-700, N7822A, had a catering agent fall from the airplane while alongside provisioning the airplane. On board were the captain, first officer, three flight attendants and several passengers. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona, to Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Sacramento, California. According to Southwest Airlines, while passengers were boarding the airplane at the gate, a catering agent returned to the airplane to provide a box of peanuts. The agent stopped the provisioning truck short of the airplane creating a gap between the truck and the airplane. After entering the airplane to deliver the peanuts, the agent lost situational awareness and stepped backwards, falling through the gap, and suffered a fractured rib. On February 11, 2017, about 1950 mountain standard time, Southwest Airlines flight 4152, a Boeing 737-700, N7822A, had a catering agent fall from the airplane while alongside provisioning the airplane. On board were the captain, first officer, three flight attendants and several passengers. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona, to Sacramento International Airport (SMF), Sacramento, California. According to Southwest Airlines, while passengers were boarding the airplane at the gate, a catering agent returned to the airplane to provide a box of peanuts. The agent stopped the provisioning truck short of the airplane creating a gap between the truck and the airplane. After entering the airplane to deliver the peanuts, the agent lost situational awareness and stepped backwards, falling through the gap, and suffered a fractured rib. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-(general)-Ground crew - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2017_DCA17CA072.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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