Avoid aircraft ground damage with an Airside Pushback™ simulator

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), 48 aircraft accidents in 2021 led to 104 fatalities. Of those accidents:

• 4 were due to abrupt maneuver (AMAN)
• 5 were due to ground collisions (GCOL)
• 6 were due to abnormal runway contact (ARC)
• 7 were due to ground handling (RAMP)

The specific accidents listed above all occurred while the aircraft was still in the airport, proving that a competent ground support crew is crucial to operating any airport efficiently. Aircraft ground damage is expensive and disrupts an entire airline’s schedule.

Ground support managers must ensure team members understand their role in ground operations to avoid accidents. Due to the unique skills needed to operate a pushback tug to transport aircraft to and from different airport areas, it can be challenging to provide proper training.

A pushback simulator offers traditional and experiential learning while operating in a safe environment. Learn about the full extent of aircraft damage and how a simulator can keep new and experienced drivers up to date on proper ground support equipment procedures.

What is considered aircraft ground damage?

Aircraft ground damage is any damage that occurs while still in the airport. Damage can occur due to collisions with other aircraft or vehicles during transport, foreign objects hitting the plane, or improper ground handling procedures.

An aircraft’s most often damaged parts are the fuselage, doors, landing gear, wings, empennage, and engine. Specifically, while using a pushback tug, most airplane ground damage involves wings, empennage, and landing gear.

For example, in 2017, a driver in Ireland was moving an Airbus A320 from the departure gate when the pushback tug’s shear pin broke and caused a loss of control. The pushback drove into the right engine, causing extensive damage. Luckily, the driver wasn’t injured.

How expensive can damage repair be?

Many aspects make it difficult to give a single answer. Costs depend on aircraft type and the extent of the damage. Repairs can quickly reach hundreds of thousands to a million dollars in expenses and can take a few days to months to complete depending on the nature of the damage. 

Aircraft damage involves other costs, such as:

• Flight delays
• Overall operation disruption costs
• Potential insurance claim administrative costs
• Refunding passengers of a canceled flight
• Money lost during aircraft repair
• The need to reschedule or shuffle employees 
• Transportation fees to and from the repair station

Prevent damages through ground support equipment training

There are many reasons for aircraft ground damage, including weather conditions, mechanical failure, limited maneuvering space, and human error.

Human error is something crew managers can actively work to eliminate by focusing on these five aspects of training.

1. Ensure drivers understand the basics of towing an airplane

Being a pushback tug driver is more than just driving the pushback vehicle; you’re also controlling the plane. Drivers must consider two centers of gravity and learn to drive two things simultaneously. Drivers can’t go too fast, stop abruptly, or take overly wide turns.

With such a specialized skill, experiential learning is the optimal way to understand the process. A simulator will allow drivers to practice repeatedly in a safe environment. 

2. Emphasize the importance of communication

Communication is essential for smooth running ground support operations. Many people work together to get a plane to and from its hangar. Without communication, the possibility of damage increases.

All drivers must learn how to communicate while driving. A driving simulator provides programmed scenarios where users must balance focusing on driving while speaking to other crew members.   

3. Host several towing equipment training sessions

The towing equipment of a pushback tug is unique to this profession, so your drivers must understand how to handle it and what specific towbars to use for different aircraft. They also need to know how to properly connect the plane to the tug and what parts of the plane need to be shut down and secured before moving it.

4. Keep training experienced drivers

It’s essential to remember experienced drivers when creating a training curriculum. Even though experienced drivers feel they know what they’re doing, they could become complacent and start cutting corners. That attitude easily leads to incidents.

By training experienced and new drivers, you give them refresher courses and correct bad habits. 

5. Practice inspecting pushback tugs before getting behind the wheel

A significant part of a pushback tug driver’s job is inspecting their vehicle and ensuring functionality before going out. If any vehicle or towing equipment item is not 100% secure, it could have ripple effects like having shear pins snap or other disconnects between the pushback and the aircraft.

Inspections should include checking the following:

• Loose, missing, or damaged hitch pins and eyebolts
• Proper tire inflation and tread condition
• Towbar condition (check for dents or bends)
• Towbar secure attachment to the vehicle
• Brake condition
• Coupler condition
• Engine oil, power steering fluid, coolant fluid, transmission fluid, and brake fluid 
• Lift mechanism

Improper equipment handling is a common way aircraft ground damage occurs, and operators get injured. Hosting multiple ground support equipment training sessions will ensure that every driver feels comfortable using the equipment. 

An Airside-Pushback™ simulator makes ground support training more efficient 

A Driver Training Solutions pushback simulator offers a realistic experience with an instructor and feedback tools for more direct engagement and performance assessments. Our simulator uses realistic physics dynamics of ground support equipment and aircraft. Using these physical models gives a tactile experience for users, which helps build muscle memory. 

The Instructor Operation System (IOS) and replay tools make learning and correcting drivers’ behaviors much easier for both the student and the teacher. Our scenario library offers plenty of opportunities for learning in specific situations like weather conditions, lighting, and equipment failure that participants can replay repeatedly.

Contact us today to request information about the Airside-Pushback™ simulator.