Event NYC97LA095

Factual narrative

On May 13, 1997, at 1120 eastern daylight time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88, N984DL, operated by Delta Air Lines as Flight 363, sustained minor damage when it was struck by a moving vehicle, while parked and boarding passengers at Gate 3, LaGuardia Airport, Flushing, New York. The certificated airline transport pilot, first officer, 3 flight attendants, and 106 passengers were not injured. One flight attendant and one passenger received minor injuries, while one passenger was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the passenger flight destined for Dallas, Texas. An instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 121. An 18-wheel tractor-trailer, operated by Truck Distribution and Transportation Service Inc., had been parked between gates 5 and 6 at LaGuardia, to deliver tires to Delta Air Lines. When the driver of the truck was advised that he would have to move the vehicle due to an airplane inbound for gate 5, he got into the truck and moved it without a ground guide. According to a witness: "...he just swung the cab around and hit the right wing at the tip. The a/c [airplane] pivoted around the main gear which were chocked, and the nose moved approximately 4 1/2 feet to the right, away from the jetway. The Pax [passenger] was just stepping into the a/c when it moved away causing the Pax to fall to the ground... The passenger fell about 8 feet to the ground, and sustained a fractured right elbow and contusions to his abdominal and pelvic areas. The McDonnell Douglas MD-88 was parked at its gate and boarding passengers. An 18 wheel tractor-trailer had been parked between gates 5 and 6 at LaGuardia Airport, to deliver tires. When the driver of the truck was advised that he would have to move the vehicle due to an airplane inbound for gate 5, he got into the truck and moved it without a ground guide. A witness observed the driver steer the truck cab around which then hit the right wing tip of the MD-88. The airplane pivoted around the main gear which were chocked, and the nose moved approximately 4 1/2 feet to the right, away from the jetway. A passenger was stepping from the jetway into the airplane, when the airplane moved, and the passenger fell 8 feet to the ground. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12