FM2436 said:
AHHHH! :angry: Apparently the link won't work so here's the article
Gunnison Airport changes rules after plow hits plane
By By RON BAIN The Daily Sentinel
Friday, January 21, 2005
GUNNISON — New ground rules affecting communications between plane cockpits, radio dispatchers and ground-based maintenance vehicles are in place at Gunnison County Airport following a Jan. 8 collision between a snowplow and a waiting Boeing 737.
One person was injured in the accident.
“We’ll call time out ’til we’re sure everybody knows who’s on the field,†Gunnison County Manager John DeVore, also the airport manager, said of the new procedure put in place.
The snowplow driver was clearing a snow-covered taxiway on the afternoon of Jan. 8 during a period of low visibility, which was caused by blowing snow, DeVore said.
“We requested the plane to hold on the taxiway,†he said. “Unfortunately, the plow driver did not hear that radio transmission.
The next thing they know, they saw the tail end of the plane, locked up the brakes on the plow and ran into the airplane.â€
The only injury was received by a Gunnison police officer, Jim Powers, who was receiving cross-training as a snowplow driver and was a passenger in the plow, DeVore said. Powers gashed his knee on the plow’s dashboard, he said.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board indicated the 737 was owned by Continental Airlines, and there 74 people on board, including passengers and crew.
The Continental plane was asked to wait while a Delta Airlines plane was being maneuvered on the runway, and the pilot announced a short delay to the passengers, according to the NTSB report.
Approximately three minutes later, at 1:33 p.m., the snowplow struck the left rear area of the 737, and “the force of the impact pushed the left main landing gear forward approximately 10 feet, turning the airplane to the right,†the report said.
After a safety inspection, “the passengers were deplaned with the airstairs,†the report said.
