Investigation Summary
On the evening of November 3, 1998, Northwest Airlink flight 5858 was preparing for a scheduled flight to Cincinnati. The ground crewmember, a part-time service agent who had already completed a full eight-hour shift at another job earlier that day, was positioned to the right front of the aircraft. She assisted the flight crew with the start of the No. 2 (right) engine. The operator, Express Airlines One, Inc., held a Part 135 Commuter air carrier certificate, though the flight was conducted under Part 121 scheduled air carrier rules. Weather conditions at the time included an overcast ceiling at 5,500 feet AGL and 10 miles of visibility in dark night conditions. Following the engine start, the crewmember signaled a 'T' with her flashlights, indicating a request to disconnect the ground power unit (GPU). The GPU was parked behind the right wing. According to passenger witnesses and the flight crew, instead of walking around the wingtip as required by company safety protocols, the crewmember walked directly toward the rear of the aircraft. This path took her through the arc of the rotating No. 2 propeller. The impact resulted in fatal blunt head injuries. The aircraft sustained minor damage from the contact. Post-mortem toxicology tests were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, and drugs, although they did detect salicylate and a trace of brompheniramine; the NTSB concluded there were no toxicological findings considered causal to the accident.
Final Conclusions
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause to be the ground crewmember's inadvertent walking into the path of a rotating propeller. The investigation highlighted that the operator's Station Operations Manual and training guides explicitly warned personnel to never walk under the wing of an aircraft when the engine on that wing is running, instructing them instead to use the wingtips as a guide.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Airline Transport Pilot certificate holder.
Systems & Failure Modes
Propeller System
The aircraft is equipped with two GE CT7-5A turboprop engines driving rotating propellers. The No. 2 propeller was active and rotating at the time of the ground strike.
Ground Power Unit (GPU)
An external power source used to provide electrical energy to the aircraft while on the ground. It was positioned behind the right wing, necessitating the crewmember to move from the front to the rear of the aircraft to disconnect it.
Interesting Facts
- 01The ground crewmember had worked a full-time job from 07:00 to 15:30 on the day of the accident before starting her airline shift at 17:34.
- 02Company manuals explicitly stated: 'NEVER WALK OR DRIVE UNDER THE WING OF A/C!'
- 03The No. 2 engine was running at the time the crewmember attempted to reach the ground power unit.
- 04Visual meteorological conditions and dark night lighting prevailed at the time of the accident.
- 05The aircraft was operating as Northwest Airlink flight 5858.
- 06The aircraft serial number was 340A-051.
- 07The aircraft was registered to Meridian Trust Company.
- 08The aircraft was configured with 36 seats and had a Certified Max Gross Weight of 28,000 lbs.
Location
NO VERIFIED COORDINATES · Coordinates are the estimate published in the ntsb final report. No map is shown, because a marker here would imply a precision the record does not have.
Reported location: Memphis, Tennessee, United States