Boeing 757-200 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, August 19, 1994
On August 19, 1994 at about 4:24 pm local time, a Boeing 757-200, registered N901AW, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 167 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the headset operator to adhere to established company safety procedures when he diverted his attention during pushback. A factor in the accident was the airline's failure to modify its ground handling procedures and equipment to eliminate the need for ground personnel to be in close proximity to the aircraft landing gear during pushback operations.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1994 · about 4:24 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 167 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-200 · all 757-200s on the register
- Registration
- N901AW · no longer on the register · serial 23321
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HEADSET OPERATOR WAS DISTRACTED FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS DURING PUSHBACK AND WAS RUN OVER BY THE NOSE WHEEL. GROUND WITNESSES SAID HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN A POSITION AT LEAST 10 FEET FROM THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE WHEEL AS HIS EMPLOYER REQUIRED. THE HEADSET OPERATOR WAS IN CHARGE OF THE PUSHBACK, AND IN THE PREVIOUS MONTH WAS HIRED AND COMPLETED THE OPERATOR'S COURSE OF RAMP SAFETY/PUSHBACK INSTRUCTION. THIS WAS HIS FIRST UNSUPERVISED EXPERIENCE. THE AIRLINE HAS A PROCEDURE WHICH REQUIRED THE HEADSET OPERATOR TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE FLIGHT DECK VIA A COMMUNICATIONS CORD WHICH WAS PLUGGED INTO THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE GEAR STRUT. THE AIRLINE HAD A SIMILAR GROUND ACCIDENT IN 1989 WHEN THE AIRLINE'S B-757 ALSO OVERRAN A HEADSET OPERATOR. IN APRIL 1994, THE FAA ALERTED THE OPERATOR OF HEADSET PUSHBACK ACCIDENTS FOLLOWING THE ISSUANCE OF THE SAFETY BOARD RECOMMENDATION A-93-55. AFTER THIS ACCIDENT, THE AIRLINE CHANGED ITS GROUND HANDLING EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES TO ELIMINATE THE NECESSITY OF A HEADSET OPERATOR WALKING IN THE PROXIMITY OF ANY AIRCRAFT NOSE WHEEL.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 13,700 as pilot in command; 665 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,188 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 19, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 241,000 lb
- Seats: 190
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: America West Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: EWR Newark NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 160 |
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.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.