You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Thursday 30 November 2023 |
| Time: | 06:14 |
| Type: |  Boeing 717-2BL |
| Owner/operator: | Hawaiian Airlines |
| Registration: | N494HA |
| MSN: | 55182/5138 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 119 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor, repaired |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | Kahului Airport (OGG/PHOG), Kahului, HI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Kahului Airport, HI (OGG/PHOG) |
| Honolulu-Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, HI (HNL/PHNL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Boeing 717-200, N494HA, sustained minor damage when it was involved in an incident after pushback and while taxiing for departure at Kahului Airport (OGG), Maui, Hawaii. The 119 passengers and crew onboard were uninjured. One ramp personnel sustained minor injuries.
The flight crew reported that after push back from the gate, they received clearance from the tug driver to start the engines. The number one (left) engine was successfully started, the brakes set, and the ground crew was instructed to disconnect the tow bar. While waiting for load closeout and an air route traffic control clearance, the number two (right) engine was successfully started, and the ground crew was released to disconnect the headset and nose landing gear bypass pin. The captain confirmed the pin had been disconnected, the after-start checklist was completed, and a taxi clearance was received from ATC. The taxi commenced followed by an unusual motion as the airplane impacted the tow tractor.
The operator reported that after push back, the disconnect agent disconnected the tow bar from the airplane, and the tow tractor was moved to the left side of the airplane by the tow tractor driver while waiting for the all clear signal from the flight crew. The disconnect agent remained near the front of the airplane and attempted to show the nose landing gear bypass pin to the pilots while the tow tractor driver sounded the vehicle’s horn to gain the flight crews attention. Subsequently, the airplane began to move, the tow tractor driver attempted to move the tractor away from the path of the airplane while the disconnect agent vacated the area towards the terminal. The airplane impacted the tow tractor with the left wing collapsing the cab of the tow tractor. Airport fire and rescue responded to the scene and extricated the driver who was transported to the local hospital for treatment.
Probable Cause and Findings
The captain did not verify that the tow tractor had exited the area in front of the airplane before taxiing for departure.
Contributing factors were the dark conditions and the absence of an illuminated hazard beacon on the tow tractor, which reduced its conspicuity; the tow tractor operator’s positioning of the tractor too close to the airplane; the captain’s forgetting to verify the ramp agent’s display of the nosewheel bypass steering pin and provide him a return salute due to the performance of competing operational tasks; the flight crew’s rote performance of the “departure salute” checklist item and the required visual check of the sides of the airplane before commencing the taxi; and the ground crew’s discarding lighted wands during the pushback, which subsequently made it more difficult for them to attract the captain’s attention. In addition, the lack of procedure for ground crew to re-establish communications with the flight crew once the headset is disconnected from the airplane.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n494ha#33087307
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Dec-2023 14:57 | harro | Added |
| 01-Dec-2023 14:59 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 19-Dec-2023 21:44 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 01-Nov-2025 15:51 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation