Union Leaders In Norfolk Up In Arms

It was, sadly, her own fault. That's the gist of a finding by the NTSB in the death of a Northwest Airlines ramp worker at Norfolk International Airport -- and it's a ruling that has the machinists union up in arms.

Denise Bogucki was operating a tug at the airport on the night of September 12th, 2003. She was assigned to push a Northwest Airlines DC-9 from the gate onto the ramp as Flight 1569 prepared for take-off. Instead of hitching to the departing aircraft, the tug impacted the plane's nose section and Bogucki was trapped between the aircraft and the tug itself. Her injuries were fatal.

In its finding of probable cause, the NTSB wrote:

According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the accident site, he observed the tug, which was going to be used to push back the airplane, had an open-air cab at the front of the chassis. The tug came to rest about 4 feet under the nose of the airplane. A gash was noted on the front left base the tug, which extended from the hookup pin area, outwards. The airplane's nose wheel assembly, along with the connected towbar, was rotated to the right at an approximate 45-degree angle. When the airplane's nose wheel assembly, along with the connected towbar, was rotated back to a forward position, the towbar cleared the nose of the airplane by approximately 1 foot.

The inspector also noted that two types of tugs and two types of towbars were used to push back the DC 9 series of airplanes from the parking stands at ORF. The tug that had a cab at the rear of the chassis, utilized a short tow bar, and the tug that had a cab at the front of the chassis, utilized a long tow bar.

The NTSB found the probable cause of the accident was, "the tug operator's decision to use improper equipment for pushback procedures."

But the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Air Transport District 143's safety and health director says the report was based on faulty information.

"She had no choice to make," Bob Bennek told the Virginia Pilot. He said Bogucki was operating the only tug with the only towbar Northwest had available for that particular duty.

"This is the worst publication I've ever seen the NTSB put out," Bennek said. "They're misstating the facts… I don't get it. It very much upsets me."

Last March, the Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Northwest $6,300 for what it called a "serious" violation of workplace safety laws. The maximum fine under state law in that circumstance was reportedly $7,000. The citation dinged NWA for failing to provide a workplace "free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm." Employees, said the state agency, "were exposed to crushing hazards while conducting aircraft pushback operations."

Northwest ramp workers had complained even before Bogucki's death that financial cutbacks had compromised safety. She was working alone on a job that many airlines require two people to perform together.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?id=NYC03LA199&rpt=fi