Summary

  • Maintenance technicians had to ensure aircraft was airworthy due to minor damage caused by baggage cart collision.
  • Baggage cart incident due to high winds left passengers stranded, some needed rebooking on other flights out of Peoria.
  • Ground damage incidents are common due to lack of attention and awareness; primary causes are aircraft collisions and human error.

Passengers traveling on American Airlines Flight 5187 on Friday, April 12th, were left stranded after a baggage cart damaged the aircraft, resulting in the flight being canceled.

The damage from the collision was minor. However, maintenance technicians had to inspect and deem the aircraft airworthy before it could take to the skies again.

The incident

According to Peoria local affiliate 25 News Now, American Airlines Flight 5187, regular service from Peoria International Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina, was scheduled to depart at 16:20. However, the flight was canceled after the incident.

PSA Airlines Operated American Airlines Bombardier-CRJ-900

Photo: PSA Airlines

Airport Director Gene Olson said that the baggage cart caused a golf-ball-sized dent in the aircraft. This isn’t much, but regulations dictate that damage must be reported and checked.

While Olson could not determine the cause of the baggage cart colliding with the aircraft, passengers on the ground said that the high winds caused the cart to roll into the aircraft. At the time of the incident, the winds at the airport were 30 miles per hour, with gusts at 44 miles per hour.

The aircraft that was damaged is a Bombardier CRJ900, registration number N613NN. According to planespotters.net, The aircraft is only 4.2 years old and was delivered in February 2020. The aircraft has had no prior collisions or incidents.

Airline and passenger response

The flight is operated by PSA Airlines, a wholly-owned American Airlines subsidiary and one of its regional operators. The airline was scrambling to rebook passengers on other flights out of Peoria. However, not everyone was lucky.

CRJ700

Linda Johnston, a 77-year-old passenger, was among the passengers who didn’t qualify for an overnight stay in Peoria. Instead, she had to return to her relative’s house in Havana, Mason County, to stay the night. American Airlines booked her on a flight for the following day.

Ground damages

The incident is one of many ground damage incidents that occur daily. These can happen for several reasons, primarily human error, such as not securing items or misjudging the distance of equipment from aircraft. Simply put, the leading cause is a lack of attention and awareness.

N999PX landing gear damage

Photo: AAIB

According to the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), ground damage is defined as:

“Any deformity of the aircraft structure, make-up, build, or components. The deformity may be caused by the aircraft striking another aircraft or structure, movable or stationary, while under its own power or an aircraft being struck by a moveable object, whether human-powered or not.”

According to Terry Yeomans, Director of the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) Program, the following are the main reasons for ground damages:

  • Aircraft colliding with GSE/ground vehicles account for 26% of damage.
  • Aircraft towing/pushback is a factor in 25% of the incidents.
  • Aircraft coming into contact with other aircraft accounts for 10%.
  • Aircraft coming into contact with an immovable object, including buildings, light posts, etc., is 15%

The areas of the aircraft that see the most damage are:

  • Wings
  • Wingtips
  • Nose cones
  • Nose gear
  • Ailerons
  • Horizontal stabilizer

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