Bombardier CL600 2D24-900 N943LR

Summary

On 9 August 2014 at about 12:34 local time, a Bombardier CL600 2D24-900 registered N943LR, operated by Mesa Airlines Inc, was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. 80 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 August 2014 at 12:34

Classification

Accident

Location

San Antonio, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

San Antonio Intl (SAT)

Coordinates

29.5269, -98.4719

Aircraft

Bombardier CL600 2D24-900

Registration

N943LR

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

2

Operator

Mesa Airlines Inc

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Antonio → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA430

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the tow bar shear pin, which resulted in the tug operator’s loss of control of the airplane during pushback operations. Contributing to the accident was the tug operator’s inability to communicate to the flight crew to apply the airplane’s brakes.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During pushback from the gate, the tug positioned the airplane on the taxiway. Before disconnecting, the tug reversed and the airplane rolled forward while still attached to the tug. As the airplane rolled past the tug, the tug impacted the left side of the fuselage. The tow bar pin was found sheared, but it could not be determined if the pin failed before or during the tow operation. Further, the operator did not have an immediate means of communicating with the flight crew the need to apply the brakes while the tug was still attached. The tug operator's postaccident urine test was positive for marijuana, which indicated prior use. However, it could not be determined whether the tug operator was impaired by the effects of marijuana at the time of the event.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.