Boeing 717-200 accident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 5, 2012
On October 5, 2012 at about 1:10 am local time, a Boeing 717-200, registered N894AT, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) not oper) near Milwaukee, Wisconsin (General Mitchell International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 108 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
An obstruction (a sleeve of cups) that lodged under the catering truck brake pedal, which prevented the driver from stopping the truck before it struck the parked airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2012 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin · General Mitchell International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 108 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 717-200 · all 717-200s on the register
- Registration
- N894AT · registry record · serial 55046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight arrived at its gate and passengers began deplaning. A catering truck approached the right front service door. The catering truck driver said he applied the brakes three times in an attempt to stop the truck before it struck the airplane. The truck driver subsequently found that a “sleeve of hot/cold cups” rolled under the brake pedal and obstructed its movement.
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
- Aircraft servicing event during standing (engine(s) not oper) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,645 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 2, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 121,000 lb
- Seats: 123
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls Royce BR715C1-30 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: KATL Atlanta GA at 10:25 pm
- Destination: KMKE Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 250° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 103 |
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 CEN13LA004.