Boeing 737 N779SW

Summary

On 5 August 2015 at about 00:00 local time, a Boeing 737 registered N779SW, operated by Southwest Airlines, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 149 people were on board. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 August 2015 at 00:00

Classification

Incident

Location

Denver, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Denver International Airport (KDEN)

Coordinates

39.8617, -104.6731

Aircraft

Boeing 737

Registration

N779SW

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

2

Operator

Southwest Airlines

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → San Jose

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15IA337

Injuries not recorded.

The gate lead/pushback driver's failure to recognize that the provisioning truck was within the safety zone of the gate during his walkaround due to distractions, which resulted in the subsequent collision between the airplane and the truck. Contributing to the collision was the provisioning truck driver's failure to recognize he was parked in the safety zone of an active gate adjacent to his assigned gate, and the guide agent's improper assumption that the safety zone was properly cleared by the gate lead/pushback driver.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the pushback of a scheduled domestic passenger flight, the airplane's left wing collided with a provisioning truck, rolling the truck onto its side and resulting in minor damage to the airplane. The truck driver stated that he was waiting to service an inbound airplane at the adjacent gate and was likely parked within the safety zone of the incident airplane's gate. The gate lead/pushback driver for the incident airplane stated that he walked past the truck during the pre-pushback walk around but did not recall seeing the truck within the safety zone. The gate lead reported problems with his headset and personal life stress. It is likely that the gate lead was distracted by both during his walk around. Additionally, a guide agent positioned at the airplane's right wing stated that he saw the provisioning truck but assumed that it was not an issue since the gate lead had conducted a walkaround before pushback.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.