Boeing 757-2G7 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, July 24, 1999
On July 24, 1999 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Boeing 757-2G7, registered N910AW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Sky Harbor International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 196 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 flight crew and the tug driver to verify that the aircraft was properly configured for pushback. Factors in the accident were the left wing walker's failure to notify the tug driver of his observations that the jet bridge was still in contact with the aircraft, and, self induced pressure on the part of the captain created by a chain of circumstances surrounding the numerous delays.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1999 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Sky Harbor International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 196 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-2G7 · all 757-2G7s on the register
- Registration
- N910AW · registry record · serial 24523
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was over 30 minutes late due to repeated delays when a mechanic told the captain that a serviceable part on his aircraft needed to be swapped out with one from another aircraft. The captain said at this point he was angry and his blood pressure was 'up to the stroke level.' Minutes later, the mechanic told the captain that maintenance control had decided not to change parts and the aircraft was 'all closed up and ready to go.' The captain thought that this meant the aircraft doors, while the mechanic meant that all maintenance access doors were secured. Neither the captain nor the first officer checked the door status lights on the overhead panel or the EICAS display, and both were unaware that a gate agent was still onboard trying to rectify an oversold passenger situation. The L2 door was open and the jet bridge was still attached to the airplane. The captain then asked the tug driver if they were ready to go. The captain said he heard the tug driver say that all doors and access panels are closed, while the tug driver said that he replied that all service doors and cargo doors, except for the jet bridge, were secured and locked. The captain then told the tug driver they were clear to pushback. The tug driver signaled the wing walkers and then began the pushback, damaging the jet bridge, the L2 door, a section of aircraft skin, and the L2 evacuation slide. After the accident, the right wing walker said that he had not given the tug driver the all clear signal required by company policy prior to pushback. The left wing walker assumed that the something was wrong with the jet bridge since the captain had ordered a pushback and signaled the driver that the ramp was clear.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 5,500 in this make and model; 179 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,681 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 7, 1999; 123 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 240,000 lb
- Seats: 196
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-535E (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: America West Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: PHX at 3:05 pm
- Destination: SAN San Diego CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from PHX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 190 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N910AW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.