Embraer EMB-135KL incident near Dubuque, Iowa, April 3, 2011
On April 3, 2011 at about 1:43 pm local time, a Embraer EMB-135KL, registered N377SK, suffered minor damage in an incident during pushback/towing near Dubuque, Iowa (Dubuque Regional Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 47 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airport authorities' improper decision to deactivate the jet bridge braking system which created an unsafe condition by the gate agents not being able to stop the bridge from impacting the airplane during a wind gust.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 2011 · about 1:43 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Dubuque, Iowa · Dubuque Regional Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 47 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB-135KL · all EMB-135KLs on the register
- Registration
- N377SK · no longer on the register · serial 145579
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flightcrew was preparing the airplane for departure from the gate. The nose wheel was still chocked, the auxiliary power unit was running, and the engines were not operating. The gate agent had moved the jet bridge about 20 to 25 feet from the airplane, when a strong wind gust pushed the jet bridge back into the airplane, which created about a 20-inch gash in the fuselage below the captain’s window. The airport had deactivated the brake system on the jet bridge during the winter months since the brakes would routinely freeze. The gate agents who were operating the jet bridge attempted to keep it from being blown into the airplane, but with the brake system deactivated, they were unable to do so. The Emergency Stop was inoperable when the brakes were deactivated. When the Emergency Stop button was pushed, the brakes would not engage. Pushing the Emergency Stop button also cut the power to the control panel so moving the joystick had no effect. After the incident occurred, the airport had the brake system activated, and the jet bridge operated normally.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc › Airport
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Airport personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Fuselage main structure › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the airframe structure
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › High wind › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › Ramp facilities › Compliance w/ procedure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,779 hours in all; 5,335 in this make and model; 236 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 18, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,752 hours in all; 2,352 in this make and model; 189 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: November 11, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,441 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 19, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 46,737 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce AE3007A1P (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Chautauqua Airlines Inc
The flight
- Departed from: DBQ Dubuque IA at 1:43 pm
- Destination: DBQ Dubuque IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 18 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.62 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from DBQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 44 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on April 20, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversations | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Jet Bridge Training Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1: Hole in the Fuselage. | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N377SK the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N377SK: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Embraer EMB-135 ERJ 135 and Legacy 119 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Embraer 663 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rolls-Royce AE3007A1P 59 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dubuque Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Iowa 871 since 1982 · 131 in the last ten years
- Iowa 4,513 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N377SK 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11IA270.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.