I know I’ve written about tow bars breaking before in this space. But it’s always worth repeating since a lot of tug drivers seem to drive as though that possibility never occurred to them.
Coupled with the drivers perhaps driving a little too fast, I all too frequently see aircraft towed with no one in the cockpit – even though most ground operations manuals require it.
Sometimes this is the fault of the ground handling company that doesn’t want to pay for the extra personnel. But sometimes it’s the aircraft owner who doesn’t want anyone in the cockpit who isn’t a direct employee.
Security concerns are often the main reason for this decision. Aircraft owners, however, are justifiably picky about the interiors of their jets. And ground handling personnel are sometimes not as sensitive to the expensive interiors of these aircraft.
But if we need any reminders of the importance of having someone in the cockpit to stop an aircraft in the event a tow bar breaks, the following incident should serve as that very expensive reminder.
News reports indicate that on Aug. 14, a Gulfstream G-5 aircraft being towed at Nashville International Airport broke free from the tug that was pulling it. With no one in the cockpit, the aircraft crashed into a parked Beechcraft King Air. Both aircraft suffered extensive damage.
While an investigation is under way, it’s likely that if someone were in the aircraft while it was being towed such an accident could have been prevented.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Do you belong to our Ground Support Worldwide LinkedIn Group? Here's a discussion we posted last week on this accident (VIDEO).
