Boeing 727-200 accident near Greenville, South Carolina, January 3, 2002
On January 3, 2002 at about 2:20 am local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N262FE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina (Greer-Greenville Spartanburg airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The tug driver's failure to maintain control of the airplane during pushback resulting in the tug colliding with the airplane. A factor was ice on the ramp.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 2002 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · Greer-Greenville Spartanburg · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N262FE · registry record · serial 21624
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the Captain, during the first phase of pushback, everything appeared normal. The first and second officers were completing the engine start check and the airplane was being pushed back from the gate when the airplane came to a stop. The tug operator stated that during pushback, the airplane nose wheel hit a patch of ice. As he applies brakes to stop the tug, the airplane began to slide. Unable to stop the movement, the tug driver jumped from the tug to avoid getting caught between the tug and airplane. The tug came to rest lodged under the fuselage of the airplane creating a 10-inch by 14-inch hole in the underside of the fuselage breaking two stringers.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL02LA029.