UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, RR: 11 Posted (8 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 2657 times:
Last night, a ramper decided to drive a tug underneath N973RP in ORD. Unfortunately, the throttle guard on the tug sliced a 5 foot long gash from one side of the aircraft to the other. It looks like someone took a Skilsaw and chopped right through the fuselage. It's actually a nice clean cut, but from the looks of it, the internal structure was damaged as well. It's not a pretty site.
BALandorLivery From UK - England, joined Jan 2005, 358 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (8 years 4 months 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 2633 times:
Unfortunately it's another case of ground personnel damaging an aircraft. These incidents appear to happen all to often. Although I don't know the exact circumstances, I think that ground should be more careful because an incident like this can put an aircraft out of action, and cause an operational headache.
However I realise it was most certainly an accident and I am NOT suggesting that ground crew are irrisponsible in any way.
UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, RR: 11 Reply 3, posted (8 years 4 months 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 2272 times:
USrampleadSTL From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 102 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (8 years 4 months 6 days 11 hours ago) and read 2199 times:
BALandorLivery: There wasn't anything to be careful about here, if it's true that the ramper drove the beltloader under the plane, he was just being absolutely 100% stupid. You're right, some accidents that happen are a result of carelessness, like denting the fuselage with a lav or catering truck, or bumping an engine with a beltloader... but driving a beltloader under the plane? I can only imagine what CHQ is going to do to him (well, besides fire him). All that happens in case of an accident is you have to go for a drug test and you're on paid suspension until the results come back.
UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, RR: 11 Reply 8, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 1996 times:
LOL....I cant believe I typed Tug not beltloader. That's what just coming off 3rd shift does to ya Anyway, the plane was in our hangar all last night getting some major sheet metal work done. They are working on it around the clock just to ferry it for a permanent repair. They had to put doublers on quite a few stringers, and who knows what else. I didn't have much time to look as I was changing out an IDG.
UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, RR: 11 Reply 9, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 21 hours ago) and read 1948 times:
Actually, it was a ZW ramper, since ZW does all the UAX ground handling in ORD.
UALramperORD From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 10, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 19 hours ago) and read 1871 times:
Well, I guess that's what you get when you pay rampers 8.50 an hour. I worked Express for a while at ORD while I was furloughed and needless to say I was turning in my badge 2 weeks later. I hear from friends who are supervisors at ZW that it is a horse shi* operation with lay workers. (I dont speak myself, just telling you what I heard, so any ZW employees dont jump down my throat.)
Airportugal310 From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 3065 posts, RR: 2 Reply 11, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 18 hours ago) and read 1816 times:
Actually working on the ramp, I am SO surprised that there are not more accidents with aircraft and with other things than there presently are...
ATWZW170 From United States of America, joined Oct 2004, 904 posts, RR: 3 Reply 13, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1683 times:
Just wondering UALramper, how much does mainline UA pay it's rampers to start...and $8.50 isn't what they start at for ZW ramp, it's more like $9.50. And if UA wouldn't come to us and tell us to cut more costs, maybe we could get better people on the ramp. Keep in mind that we took over the entire Express operation and have people with maybe a year or less experience, with new folks coming on every month...with what UA has given us to work with, I'd say we are doing a DAMN fine job.
Success is getting what you want...happiness is liking what you get
Agrayson514 From United States of America, joined May 2004, 396 posts, RR: 2 Reply 14, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 15 hours ago) and read 1656 times:
EMBQA From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 9286 posts, RR: 13 Reply 15, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 1621 times:
I wonder if this means they'll paint it now...
I'd say no. The people I have talked with at CHQ love these aircraft in the blue tail as they can fly any line. It may fly Delta in the morning, American at noon and USAirways at night. I think they have two -145's and two -135's in those colors.
"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"
UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, RR: 11 Reply 16, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 13 hours ago) and read 1577 times:
I agree that the ZW ramp/ops side of things at ORD is rather hectic. When we taxi planes over from the hangar in the morning, they give us conflicting gate information, etc. But there are a lot of new employees, and it will take time to get things up to speed. Also, as previously stated, UA's shoestring budget we have to work with isn't helping.
Pensacolaguy From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 535 posts, RR: 1 Reply 17, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 1534 times:
Since were on the subject of UEX/CHQ.
What flight numbers on the United Airlines timetable indicate CHQ airlines ER4 flights? The timetable says all 7000-7999 flights are Atlantic Coast Airlines. But looking at the timetable ABQ-ORD flight numbers are 7736/7740 and Atlantic Coast Airlines doesn't operated ERJ-170s.
OH-LGA From Denmark, joined Oct 1999, 1428 posts, RR: 22 Reply 18, posted (8 years 4 months 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 1517 times:
Pensacolaguy: Since Atlantic Coast is no longer a United Express carrier, 7000-7999 series flight numbers have been reassigned to current United Express partners. I can't remember the ranges, but Trans States operates using flight numbers 8000-8199 I believe. Mesa operates the lower end of the 7000's (7000-7299 I beleive), with Shuttle America and Chautauqua operating using the rest of the numbers.
Kai
Head in the clouds... yet feet planted firmly on the ground.
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From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2130 posts, 
From UK - England, joined Jan 2005, 358 posts, 
Anyway, the plane was in our hangar all last night getting some major sheet metal work done. They are working on it around the clock just to ferry it for a permanent repair. They had to put doublers on quite a few stringers, and who knows what else. I didn't have much time to look as I was changing out an IDG.
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From Denmark, joined Oct 1999, 1428 posts, 
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