Deicing Trucks Strike Two Planes At Hopkins

Deicing trucks at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport caused damage to two planes last weekend, and the FAA would like to know why.

The Cleveland (OH) Plains-Dealer reports one of the trucks struck the horizontal stabilizer on a Southwest 737 Saturday, while spraying the plane to remove ice and snow. The truck became wedged underneath the stab.

After the truck was eventually freed, the plane returned to the terminal, and the 51 passengers onboard the flight were put on another flight to Chicago. As of Wednesday, the plane remained out of service, according to Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis.

"It's obviously a very serious thing when an aircraft is bumped and has to be taken out of service," McInnis said.

That incident was followed the next day by another ramp collision, this one involving an American Eagle ERJ. This time, a deicing truck hit the right wingtip on the 50-seat plane, again forcing a return to the terminal. The passengers were put on a Continental Airlines flight.

The ERJ was back in service Sunday night, said American Eagle spokeswoman Andrea Huguely.

The Plains-Dealer reports attempts Wednesday to reach Aeromag Contego, the company that operates deicing trucks at Hopkins, were unsuccessful. The airport began using the new deicing system last year.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.aeromagcontegocle.com