NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA12CA038
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The tug driver's inadequate control of the tug while maneuvering the airplane during pushback.
Factual narrative
According to the tug driver, during pushback of the airplane from the gate, he turned the airplane early in order avoid an airplane at an adjacent gate. He further stated that he did not straighten the tug in time and impacted the airplane which resulted in substantial damage to airplane's nose landing gear support beam and a puncture in the pressure vessel. According to the pilot of the flight, during pushback the airplane overshot the centerline and was being corrected back to the line when he observed the tug continue aft and then heard a metallic sound. The pilot further stated that the pushback did not appear to be too fast and there appeared to be only minor directional control problems with the tug until the impact. According to the tug driver, during pushback of the airplane from the gate, he turned the airplane early in order to avoid an airplane at an adjacent gate. He further stated that he did not straighten the tug in time, and it impacted the left side of the airplane he was pushing, which resulted in substantial damage to airplane's nose landing gear support beam and a puncture in the pressure vessel. According to the pilot of the flight, during pushback, the airplane overshot the centerline and was being moved back to the centerline when he observed the tug continue aft and then heard a metallic sound. The pilot further stated that the pushback did not appear to be too fast and that there appeared to be only minor directional control problems with the tug until the impact. 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 Aircraft-Aircraft handling/service-Towing and taxiing-Towing-Not specified - C
- C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Ground crew - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2011_ERA12CA038.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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