Boeing 737 3H4 N368SW accident near Baltimore, Maryland

Probable cause

the tug operators excessive speed during pushback.

NTSB analysis

On August 4, 2016 at 9:02pm eastern daylight time, Southwest Airlines flight 149, a Boeing 737, N368SW, experienced a failure of the nose landing gear during pushback from the gate at the Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI), Baltimore, Maryland. The aircraft was substantially damaged and there were no injuries to the 6 crewmembers or 129 passengers but the airplane was substantially damaged. The flight was being operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight to Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia.

According to the flight crew, as the pushback tug was maneuvering the aircraft off the gate, the flight crew felt the front of the airplane bounce up and down, and then came to rest on the nose. The passengers were deplaned via air stairs.

The nose gear collapsed in a forward direction, resulting in substantial damage to the gear structure, the nose gear well, and crushing the forward bulkhead. An airport surveillance camera video was obtained, which showed the tug pushing the aircraft at approximately 6 knots. The tug specifications indicate that speed could be achieved only in second gear or higher. The airline general operating manual specifies that pushback must be conducted in low or first gear, and at a walking speed.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DCA16CA207 for the full record.