Pilot Debrief

EMBRAER EMB 145XR near Chicago, IL — 2014-09-13

Final reportDCA14CA170
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Date
2014-09-13
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Airport
KORD
Aircraft
EMBRAER EMB 145XR
Registration
N16147
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Taxi

Probable cause

The tractor driver's failure to give way to the taxiing airplane.

NTSB narrative

On September 12, 2014, about 2026 central daylight time, an ExpressJet ERJ145XR, dba United Express flight 4528, N16147, was struck by a United Airlines baggage tractor while taxiing to the gate at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (KORD), Chicago, Illinois. There were no injuries to the 37 passengers and crew members onboard the airplane and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The tractor driver received minor injuries. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Joe Foss Field (KSFD), Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to KORD. According to the operator, the flight had just landed and was taxiing on taxi-way A from the east and had just switched to United Ground Control. The flight was instructed to taxi from A to the alley and transition to the "B" side "J"-line and taxi to gate E2. As the airplane entered the United Airlines control area, a baggage tractor drove into the path of the taxiing airplane on the roadway between the gates C-29 and B-16. The airplane was unable to stop and the right wing struck the moving baggage tractor, knocking it onto its right side. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing and right leading edge.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Baggage tractor should have yielded to taxiing aircraft.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 1 docket document
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents1

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