Incident Overview
Description
The Airbus A320 aircraft, registered PK-LZJ, was involved in a ground handling accident at Makassar-Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport (WAAA), Indonesia. At 1842 UTC (0242 LT), at night, the aircraft commenced pushback from stand B1. The push back operation used a towing tractor with the three crew members consisting of a towing tractor driver, a wing-man and a headset-man, a task performed by an aircraft mechanic. There was no briefing among the crew related to the pushback activity including the push back maneuver. The towing tractor driver and wing-man used high visibility vest while the headset-man used company uniform without any fluorescence strip or high visibility vest. The push back maneuver did not follow the guideline and the headset-man walked behind the nose wheel while observing the engine start process. During a turn, the aircraft nose wheel passed over the right foot of the headset-man. The towing tractor driver felt a bump and noticed that the headset-man laid on the ground. The headset-man was evacuated to the nearest hospital for medical treatment and found to have sustainied a fracture on his right tarsometatarsal. Contributing factors of the occurrence: The different assumption of pushback maneuver between headset-man and the push back tractor driver, and both were fixated to their own duties while working on a reduced alertness condition, resulted in the towing tractor driver did not aware of the headset-man position and the headset-man did not aware of the nose wheel position. These conditions led to the nose wheel passed over the headset-man foot.
Primary Cause
Misinterpretation of pushback maneuver procedures between the towing tractor driver and the headset-man, leading to the headset-man’s position being obscured.Misinterpretation of pushback maneuver procedures between the towing tractor driver and the headset-man, leading to the headset-man’s position being obscured.Share on:
