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| Date: | Friday 7 May 1999 |
| Time: | c. 12:00 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 777-222 |
| Owner/operator: | United Airlines |
| Registration: | N768UA |
| MSN: | 26919/11 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1995 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 155 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Pushback / towing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) |
| Washington-Dulles International Airport, VA (IAD/KIAD) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft was parked on Stand J15, at the outer end of a pier, adjacent to the inner taxiway. The
slope in that area is approximately 0.6%. It had been raining most of the day and the pavement
surface was wet, although at the time of the incident the rain had stopped. During the pushback,
clearance was given to start engines. An incoming aircraft was holding for stand J15, and it became
necessary to tow the aircraft forward to allow enough room for the incoming aircraft to pass. As the
driver began to straighten the tug and tow the aircraft forward, he felt the tug being pushed forward
and begin to pick up speed, even though his foot was off the accelerator. The aircraft thrust caused
the tug to skid and sheared the head off the towbar. The driver asked the flight crew to 'set brakes
and cut engines', but there was no response because the communication cable had become
disconnected.
As the aircraft continued forward the driver jumped out of the tug and he, along with the two
wingwalkers, signalled for the flight crew to set brakes. The aircraft passed over the tug with the
starboard wheels of the main gear coming to rest against the side of the tug.
As a result of this event, the operator is planning to publicise this incident in company safety and
training publications and utilise the event in tug driver training to emphasise both the need for early
detection of impending loss of control and the appropriate actions to take should loss of control
occur. In addition they are revising their maintenance manual to prohibit towing the Boeing 777
with both engines running, and modifying their pushback procedure to delay the B777 engine start
until the brakes are set.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f080e5274a13140002f7/dft_avsafety_pdf_502226.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/5786778 (Photo)
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2025 17:57 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 24-Oct-2025 17:58 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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