Boeing 737-823 incident near Southlake, Texas, February 21, 2011
On February 21, 2011 at about 1:24 am local time, a Boeing 737-823, registered N945AN, suffered minor damage in an incident during pushback/towing near Southlake, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth Int'L. airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The tractor driver’s failure to confirm that the tow bar head/handle was secured correctly to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 2011 · about 1:24 am local time
- Place
- Southlake, Texas · Dallas-Fort Worth Int'L. · map
- Type
- Incident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-823 · all 737-823s on the register
- Registration
- N945AN · registry record · serial 30085
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing 737-823 was being pushed back from its gate when the tow bar separated from the nose gear. The airplane rolled backwards and the right wing tip struck the nose of a parked DC-9. The tractor driver said the tow bar was already attached to the aircraft when he arrived. He said that he attached the other end of the tow bar to the tractor. The driver said that prior to push back, he checked the tow bar and ascertained that the bypass pin was in place and the tow bar wheels were fully retracted. Examination of the tow bar revealed no mechanical failures or abnormalities.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Ground handling event during pushback/towing
- Ground collision during pushback/towing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incomplete action › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,984 hours in all; 3,593 in this make and model; 171 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 3,593 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 12, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,984 hours in all; 362 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 13,945 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 3, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 174,200 lb
- Seats: 160
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm International CFM56-7B27 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Southlake TX at 1:25 am
- Destination: PBI Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 170° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from DFW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 4 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 139 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 CEN11IA198.