dailynewsnblog
Following last month’s incident involving a 
United Airlines aircraft collision with two deicing trucks at 
Denver International Airport(DEN), a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicates that the pilots were distracted in conversation and were not sure if they had clearance to move.
While no passengers or crew members on board the aircraft were hurt, a member of the de-icing team was injured and had to be transported to a local hospital. The passengers were bused to the terminal and provided with a replacement aircraft shortly thereafter and flown to the intended destination, with a small delay.
Findings From The Preliminary Report
The incident occurred on March 6 at Denver Airport, when a Boeing 737-800 operated by United collided with two de-icing trucks at one of the de-icing spots at the apron. While the airline’s initial statement indicated that the truck made contact with the 737, video captured by passengers onboard that flight showed that the aircraft was also moving at the time of the collision.
According to CBS News, statements from the flight crew indicated they were not sure if they had received clearance to move when parked at a spot in DEN’s de-icing bay. The flight crew reportedly performed all the post-deicing checks, and while they had received their taxi clearance, it was only after the collision that the crew was made aware that they were not cleared to exit from the de-icing bay because the procedure was still ongoing.
A key point noted in the preliminary reports was that a conversation was ongoing at the flight deck during this period, which could have potentially contributed to the flight crew being distracted. Ultimately, the aircraft began moving forward, and that is when the forward part of the wings collided with two trucks located at the front of the wings, which were in the process of spraying deicing fluid.
What Happened To The Aircraft?
The incident report indicates that the aircraft involved was a 27-year-old 737-800 airframe. After the collision, passengers were transported to the terminal via buses and allocated a different aircraft to fly them to their destination – Nashville International Airport (BNA).
As for the aircraft involved, considering the collision was with its wings, major inspection and maintenance work would have been required. Wing surfaces are critical to the aircraft’s ability to generate lift, especially the forward part, which is important for smooth and aerodynamic airflow around the wing surface, alongside the operations of lift-assisting devices such as slats.
According to the aircraft data published by FlightRadar24, since the incident on March 6, the aircraft remained out of service for over three weeks. During this period, the 737 performed a 20-minute circuit flight on the 23rd, followed by a much longer flight of nearly two hours on the 29th, before re-entering commercial service later that day.
Ground Collision: United Plane Strikes Deicing Truck At DEN
A United Airlines flight from Denver to Nashville was forced to deplane after a deicing truck made contact with their Boeing 737-800.
The Importance Of Maintaining A Sterile Flight Deck
While a considerable portion of an aircraft’s operations these days relies on technology and automation, it remains critical that humans (flight crew in this case) remain in the loop and ensure everything is functioning as required. The overreliance on technology and the need for pilots have been a point of debate for several years.
That being said, a key safety requirement for pilots is maintaining a sterile flight deck during critical phases of flight operations. This essentially means ensuring any and all activities or communications occurring during phases such as landing or takeoff are strictly limited to what is necessary for that particular phase of flight, thereby minimizing any potential distractions.
Considering that an aircraft undergoing a de-icing procedure (which in itself is important) is surrounded by multiple ground vehicles in proximity to the aircraft, especially at an airport as busy as Denver, it can be fair to assume that de-icing is a critical phase, and therefore, a sterile flight deck has to be maintained during such operations.
