Inspection Detail

Inspection: 304536196 - Piedmont Airlines Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Va-E-Manassas (Regional Office)- Safety 0355114

Investigation Summary

At 5:30 p.m. on August 5, 2001, US Airways Flight Number 3340, a 37-passenger DeHavilland Dash-8 aircraft, identified as N935HA, was preparing to depart Gate 35-A at Ronald Regan Washington National Airport for a 1-hour flight to White Plains, NY. Employee #1, a ground crew member, stationed at the front of the aircraft, was signaled by a second employee, the person in charge of directing the ground crew, to pull out the nose wheel chocks, which he did, and threw them to his left out of the aircraft's path. As the aircraft started to moving towards the taxiway it was apparent that the right landing gear was going to hit the wheel chocks that had just been removed from the nose wheel. The second employee signaled the plane to stop, which it did. Employee #1, observing the problem, went forward to move the chocks. Personnel on the starboard side of the aircraft noted that Employee #1 was walking into the turbo-prop blades that were running at full idle, approximately 780 rpm. The second employee and several workers shouted warnings, bus drivers honked horns, trying to get Employee #1's attention. However, he did not hear them over the noise of the aircraft motor. Employee #1 was struck by all four blades of the starboard engine, damaging three. The paramedics who responded to the accident reported that no life signs were evident when they examined Employee #1.

Keywords: CHOCK, AIRCRAFT PROPELLER, STRUCK BY, BLADE, CONTUSION