Inspection Detail

Inspection: 110370343 - Trans World Airlines

Inspection Information - Office: Fort Worth Area Office

Investigation Summary

On or about February 23, 1993, at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, terminal 2W, Gate 14, a DC9 flight 278 was preparing for a 10:59 a.m. departure. The crew chief had gone into the baggage room and noticed approximately six bags of last minute baggage that needed to be loaded onto the flight. The crew chief drove the bag loader to the plane's rear cargo door to load the baggage. After he loaded the baggage, the crew chief saw Employee #1, who had come into the area to help prepare the flight, get on the loader and move it away from the aircraft, which is standard procedure. As the crew chief was closing the cargo door, he heard a loud bang and saw the loader under the fuselage near the front baggage compartment, but not Employee #1. A coworker was at the front of the aircraft with his back turned, reaching for the headsets to communicate with the flight crew. When he heard the loud crash, he turned around and saw the belt loader under the aircraft and Employee #1 on the ground. The coworker walked over and saw Employee #1 put his hand under his head. He told Employee #1 to lie still. He had suffered head, chest, and abdominal injuries. Employee #1 was transported to the hospital, where he died during emergency treatment. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest. Apparently, Employee #1 drove the loader in reverse in a circle around the wing and struck his head against the front cargo door area. As the loader continued under the aircraft, Employee #1 was knocked from the loader to the ground.

Keywords: AIRCRAFT, HEAD, WORK RULES, STRUCK AGAINST, TORSO, CARDIAC ARREST, LOADER, DOOR, BACKING UP, INATTENTION