Airport tractor operator killed while towing jet

[007 RED]

32 minutes ago, Scott Tracy said:

An unfortunate incident.

Comments have been made that the report 'incorrectly states' that the aircraft was being towed to a disembarkation point. I don't know if the report is true or if the commenters are correct.

I cannot see passengers or steps in place in the photographs. 

One commenter says a tow bar break is a rare occurrence, which, in my experience, it is. But it does happen. There is a shear pin in the bar, designed to break before tug pulls the nose landing gear off the aircraft.

There is normally a person on the flight deck, briefed to operate the brakes. Tug drivers normally signal by horn toots. It does help enormously if the brake system is presurised. Pumping and releasing the brakes on an aircraft a couple of times will depressurise the system, unless the system is kept pressurised.

The tug driver may well have signalled the brake man on the flight deck and expected the aircraft to stop. 

When I was learning tug driving, I was told if the pin breaks, if it's a push, stop, if it's a pull, drive away in the direction of travel if you can. In both cases, blowing the horn, or shouting or both, so the brake person can see whatever is happening.

 

RIP tug driver. 

 

Scott, I agree with your comments but having seen the video of this incident several times this morning on various TV news channels I have a horrible feeling that the tug was possibly exceeding the speed limits for a manoeuvre he was about to make.

 

The plane was being towed from its remote overnight stand along taxiway K and was due to make a left turn onto taxiway H.  From the video, it looks to me as though tug and plane were moving fairly quickly along the straight taxiway (K) and the tug driver left his braking very late to slow the palne down before making the left hand turn.  The 66 Ton aircraft appears to push the tug as the tug begins the left hand turn.  The momentum of the aircraft would want to continue in a straight line but the tow bar would have prevented this and the plane can be seen to suddenly swing left.  It almost looks like the tug and plane 'jack knifed' causing the tug to stop and the plane then rolling over the tug.  The tug is seen on several photos wedged under the left hand side of the aircraft fuselage.

 

Other photos that I have seen show the tow bar is intact but completely removed from the tug and the aircraft and it is bent at about a 30 degrees which may indicate that it did not just break lose from the tug/aircraft during the tow.

 

The photo below show the position of the tug and the tow bar (just in front of the right hand wheels).

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by 007 RED

[Assurancetourix]

7 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Also a lot of TVF members who don't have clue about airport operations.

You are right; we never got on a plane;

we also arrived in Thailand on a buffalo back 

 

For your information, there are on this forum former commercial aircraft pilots who know what they are talking about;
not me, I was only an international truck driver

[VocalNeal]

19 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Also a lot of TVF members who don't have clue about airport operations.

They are sat at home bored. Give them a break.....

[Moonlover]

33 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

43 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Also a lot of TVF members who don't have clue about airport operations.

 

34 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

You are right; we never got on a plane;

we also arrived in Thailand on a buffalo back 

 

For your information, there are on this forum former commercial aircraft pilots who know what they are talking about;
not me, I was only an international truck driver

I have plenty of respect for commercial aircraft pilots, however they are not the ones who tow aircraft around the airfield. That's the job of the  ground handler's and I've done a lot of it.

[shy coconut]

23 hours ago, PJPom said:

Why must there always be blame or criticism, this seemingly is an unfortunate accident. Condolences to the mans family, a sad day for them.

Criticism is the only way to tell whether certain members are still alive, it draws out likes

from others so serves a useful purpose.

 

Back on topic, yes it does indeed sound like an awful accident, no one expects a family

member to go to work and not come home.

[Moonlover]

3 hours ago, 007 RED said:

Other photos that I have seen show the tow bar is intact but completely removed from the tug and the aircraft and it is bent at about a 30 degrees which may indicate that it did not just break lose from the tug/aircraft during the tow.

If the tow bar is bent, and looking the photo, it does appear to be so, then that does support your idea that the tractor and aircraft 'jackknifed'. Tractor driver takes the turn too fast, brakes and the aircraft overruns the tractor.

 

As a young airman I used to tow Canberra bombers into the Sqn hanger. There was a downhill slope and a sharp turn into the entrance and we had to be oh so careful to prevent the aircraft overrunning the tug.

 

It's an accident waiting to happen when there is a time pressure, which is all too often the case at busy airports.

[CGW]

9 hours ago, legend49 said:

I wonder if there was anyone in the cockpit at all to be the brake person?

The Pilot is the only person permitted to "drive" the plane when being towed so obviously he was in "control" of the brakes, the vehicle doing the towing was in "command"

Edited February 8, 2020 by CGW

[sammieuk1]

Run over by a plane is Added this to my bizarre mysterious unbelievable ways to die here vol 2 ????Rip

[Cricky]

I have no idea of the safety protocols etc in the aviation industry.

 

Does this sort of thing happen often?

 

How could this type of accident happen?

 

Looks like the coupling broke due to operator error!

 

without looking at the safety report who's at fault here, I assume the pilot?

 

[rvaviator]

4 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Also a lot of TVF members who don't have clue about airport operations.

Or many other things for that matter ????

[maprao]

On 2/7/2020 at 12:20 PM, VYCM said:

Poor maintenance more like it 

The couplings that are used have safety pins designed to break under certain load to prevent damage to the aircraft.

Edited February 8, 2020 by maprao

[DJ54]

R.i.P.

 

these things shouldn’t happen

[maprao]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:24 AM, maprao said:

Having been in a tractor were the "pin" coupling broke we kept driving when safe signal the brakeman or pilot.

Poorly trained and very unlucky.

Why are they towing aircraft after landing. They normally taxi to the stand or gate.

Only in noise abatement areas like Heathrow if they land before a certain time us this done.

Bangkok nouse abatement 

Reposting to correct two typos and to try and clarify the 2 confused people. Hope they see this lol

 

Having been in a tractor towing an aircraft before where the "pin" or coupling broke we kept driving after the separation of the tug from the aircraft. Once we were a safe distance from the aircraft we signaled for the brakes to be applied. This is common practice to signal the pilot or "brakeman " if towing for maintenance purposes to brake if they have not already done so.

Poorly trained ground handling staff and very unlucky.

Why were they towing an aircraft after landing. They normally taxi to the stand or gate.

Only in noise abatement areas like Heathrow is this practice done i.e. towing an aircraft immediately after it has landed. Then only done if they land before a certain time ie 6am is this done.

Does Bangkok have noise abatement? I don't think they do.

RIP To the poor fellow that lost his life

Edited February 8, 2020 by maprao

[Cricky]

2 minutes ago, maprao said:

Reposting to correct two typos and to try and clarify the 2 confused people. Hope they see this lol

 

Having been in a tractor towing an aircraft before where the "pin" or coupling broke we kept driving after the separation of the tug from the aircraft. Once we were a safe distance from the aircraft it is then common practice to signal the pilot or "brakeman " if towing for maintenance purposes to brake if they have not already done so.

Poorly trained ground handling staff and very unlucky.

Why were they towing an aircraft after landing. They normally taxi to the stand or gate.

Only in noise abatement areas like Heathrow is this practice done i.e. towing an aircraft immediately after it has landed. Then only done if they land before a certain time ie 6am is this done.

Does Bangkok have noise abatement? I don't think they do.

RIP To the poor fellow that lost his life

Post above says

 

The plane was being towed from its remote overnight stand along taxiway K 

 

 

[maprao]

5 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Also a lot of TVF members who don't have clue about airport operations.

The quotes are not working correctly so to VYCM I Stand corrected. I didn't see it was as described. This makes it even sadder. Because ground operation staff are well versed in towing aircraft.

 

But as a licensed aircraft engineer; I stand corrected as all the 100s of aircraft I / we have towed was a figment of my imagination. Silly me.

 

Not sure if it was aimed at anyone specifically ...This being said I shall bow out of this to the TV experts.

Edited February 8, 2020 by maprao

[hhinhh]

On 2/7/2020 at 10:39 AM, PJPom said:

Why must there always be blame or criticism, this seemingly is an unfortunate accident. Condolences to the mans family, a sad day for them.

An accident which could have been avoided:

1 Use good quality equipment

2 Train staff for unusal events

3 Start thinking, it is like stoping on a raod when trafic roles in your direction

 

I feel sorry for this man. It should be wakeup call for safty concience. Then his dead was not totally invain.

[007 RED]

2 hours ago, CGW said:

The Pilot is the only person permitted to "drive" the plane when being towed so obviously he was in "control" of the brakes, the vehicle doing the towing was in "command"

A 'pilot', as in a person who is licenced to fly that particular type of aircraft does not need to be in the cockpit when an aircraft does not have any passengers on board, is not under power and being towed, as in this case from a remote parking stand to the terminal building.

 

It is perfectly acceptable for a member of the ground staff to be sitting in the left hand (pilot's) seat provided that that person has been trained and certified to undertake the task. 

 

Normally that person will be a technician and their function will be to start up the Auxiliary Power Unit to provide electrical power for lights (when necessary) and for the electric motor which provided the necessary pressure for the hydraulic systems (brakes).  He is also responsible for releasing and applying the parking brake, checking the hydraulic pressure gauges and maintaining a lookout during the tow.

 

Braking during towing is normally the responsibility of the tug driver.  This has to be done very gradually as a sudden or sharp braking can lead to the nose wheel assembly being damaged.

 

Depending upon individual protocols, either the tug driver or the person in the left hand seat will be solely responsible for communications with ATC to obtain clearance for ground movements etc.  In the case where the person in the left hand seat is responsible for ATC comms, the tug driver must have facilities to overhear these comms.

 

The person in the left hand seat is not responsible for steering the plane whilst the tow bar is attached, that is the sole responsibility of the tug driver.