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United 737 Football Charter Tips Over At Lewiston Airport

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A United 737 carrying the USC Trojans college football team to Washington state, tipped over at Lewiston Airport during the unloading process. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

Roger Anderson
News junkiePromoter

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mbrews
mbrews 32
Boeing 737 makes unplanned shift to tailback position for the USC football team
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brianrush
Brian Rushfeldt 4
solution - get all the remaining player to charge forward !!
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DennisSee
Dennis See 4
a.k.a. illegal shift
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thecohorts
Matt LaMay 11
Tell me you don't know the proper loading/unloading procedures of a 737-900 without telling me!

When we were ramping these with Continental, we had a couple of them tip like this. You learned quite quickly to always unload the back bin 1st and loaded it last!
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brianrush
Brian Rushfeldt 2
did you ever use a skid pole ,, this may have been the first 737 they ever dealt with but....
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At6reo
At6reo 3
We did at Continental.. but first thing was look at the load sheet to see what the weight was to determine whats where and how much weight for proper unloading /loading.
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 2
Yep!
Continental always did it right!👍👏
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Jaime1949
Jaime Terrassa 1
riht you are Mr lamay I worked for you united and we were drilled on hi=ow it was done to this day I still think about it.
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
Exactly!
Apparently, the ya-who’s working that plane had no idea what they were doing!
Shame on them, or should I say, the people that should have given them the proper training!
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brapat39
Bradly Paterson 9
Uhh...Tip over....nope. Wheelie perhaps.
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21voyageur
21voyageur 5
Agree. Tip-up or tip-back also better describes the event.
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GeorgePepe
George Pepe 3
Tipping over would be like on its back.
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Nocheechako
Roy Thomas 7
Good grief the 900s require a tail stand. The thing that I would like to know is there a check box for communication between the ground crew and the cabin crew before that door is opened? Or is it simply the responsibility for the ground crew? in which case this small airport crew would not have had that knowledge.
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bidrec
Richard Haas 6
These are often one-offs and the responsibility of the airline. The airline would be responsible for making sure that the ground handling contractor had done the necessary CBT (Computer Based Training). In the case of our airport Sun Country flew in with two 737's and the ground handling contractor was Piedmont. This happened one time only. The ground handlers had to be trained for this one time event. Ground crew training is very specific to aircraft type---and all regional airlines have their own GOM's---that are unique to them.
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
Got that right!👍
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
First, “Good grief”?!😂
Second, it’s the ground crews’ responsibility to know how to load/unload whatever aircraft they’re working, regardless of the airport it’s at!!!
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 1
All aircraft are inherently tail heavy, especially the now defunct three engine types. Continue to stretch the newer models and an empty aircraft is quite light in the nose.
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brianrush
Brian Rushfeldt 0
solution - all remaining passengers please charge forward.
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JMARTINSON
JMARTINSON 13
I don't think "tipped over" is really the best way to describe it.
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steerts
Ron Streetenberger 2
I agree. How about "very early rotate"?
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At6reo
At6reo 1
Wheels up ? LOL
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
Exactly!
Exaggerated for attention!
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tlfys1
tlfys1 4
I almost had the same thing happen on one of my flights on a 400 in MEM a few years ago during a college charter flight. This was from band equipment being loaded in the rear pit before boarding and being parked at the western edge of Wilson's ramp. Anyone who knows this FBO knows that part of the ramp rises in elevation. As I was doing the walk around I noticed that the nose strut was at full extension and immediately ran to the back of the aircraft and make the guys stop loading. These types of charters are the worst for situations like this to happen...
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ewrcap
ewrcap 2
HEAVY METAL band?
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bentwing60
bentwing60 4
Look at the second picture, they unloaded the 'forward bags first'!

In the Lear 20 freight days, if you didn't have a tail stand on board, you didn't really have an A game and if you really needed it you hadn't been there very long!
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 3
Especially if maintenance pulled the radar our for repair? We also had to tell the fuelers when duel refuelling from the rear, to let the hoses drop straight down from the tip tank rather than have them at shallow angle. The weight of the fuel in the hoses could pull the tail down enough for the nose wheel to jump the chock at which time the aircraft tail hits the truck! Fun times.
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bentwing60
bentwing60 2
Remember when you carried around your own cans of Prist?
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 1
Yes.
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 4
Of course foresight may have dictated using two sets of airstairs to deplane.
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rbordiway
rick ordiway 3
CG any one? some body is goin to the front office!
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speedbird9
Marty Martino 6
Shouldn’t put the lineman in the back of the plane.
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hnsburnet
ARTHUR BURNET 2
In the USAF in the early 1970s, the crew chief (of our EC135N models) needed to always remember to install the tail stand, and to remove it to prepare for flight. Follow the check list!!
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brianrush
Brian Rushfeldt 2
very skewed headline..
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LewisBSckolnick
Lewis Sckolnick 2
You call that a punt?
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Viperguy46
Jesse Carroll 2
Don't put all the linesman in the back!
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patpylot
patrick baker 3
bet they unload similar flights inthe future as port side out fuly, then starboardside fully. Logically that could work. Also a bigger plane might suffice for the 100 team memebers, staff and coaches and boosters. It had to be the boosters that messed up balance- fat cats that they are....
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 4
Should have left all the equipment in the forward hold until all had deplaned?
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jbsimms
James Simms 2
Equipment such as shoulder pads, shoe cases, fans, game balls, medical tent, all kinds of medical equipment, rain jackets for staff & student assistants, extra helmets, parts for shoes & helmets, etc. an Eighteen wheel semi along w/a charter bus carrying student assistants leave Thursday morning or mid afternoon in order to arrive @ the stadium Friday morning. Both may leave Wednesday if the away game is a fairly long distance away. They set up every locker so it’s ready for the individual players when the team arrives Friday afternoon for a walk through in the opposing teams stadium.

After the game, everything’s packed up when the final clock runs out. Uniforms are put up into barrels of a bleach/water solution so the grass & blood stains have a chance to soak on the trip back. Everything’s unloaded midday or late Sunday afternoon. On Monday, Equipment & student managers go over uniforms to determine which needs a seamstress for repair work.

Should know, I worked for thirteen years in the Athletic Department Football Building of a Major P5 Conference powerhouse.
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fireftr
Dale Ballok -1
Thanks for describing your athletic dept duties, but not relevant to the tail of a plane tipping!🤷‍♂️😂😩
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 2
I wasn't ‘aware there were belly cargo doors on the port side of the aircraft?
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ewrcap
ewrcap 2
Ha! We ARE old! “Port” side of plane, prist cans, heavy radars? I feel right at home. Ever have to add oil to Rolls Royce Vipers?
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 2
Yes, in the hot sun on a charter with a 125-3ARA in Santo Domingo, DR. Fill the oil and check the fuel, lol. Also, remember adding oil to the wing engines on our L-1011’s while the Flight Engineer serviced the no. 2 engine in the tail, from a belt loader no less! Fun times.
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
Obviously, no knowledge of airplanes, as noted by his “port and starboard “ comment!😂😩
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
“Logically could work”, how???
The answer is unloading rear first, to maintain weight on the nose gear!
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steerts
Ron Streetenberger 2
Kickers and wide receivers to the front please, Offensive and defensive linemen to the rear please.
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GeorgePepe
George Pepe 1
This has happened to delta a few times.
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gbcotten
greg cotten 1
There is a huge difference between tipping over and tipping up!

Who is the editor?
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Mmeyers7167
Michael Meyers 1
Those are some BIG BOYS on that Football team
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gcottay
George Cottay 1
USC was so shaken by the experience they only won by 31 points, Trojans 45 and Cougars 14.
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sgbelverta
sharon bias 1
Fiji Airlines flies many 737's to Samoa, Solomon Islands and Tonga. Statistically, citizens of these nations are the largest in the world (https://www.worlddata.info/average-bodyheight.php). Given the location of these nations, it's not going to have many passengers who aren't going to check luggage. I haven't heard of them having a tipped plane. This is obviously a training issue with crew and/or ground staff at Lewiston. Bet they won't make the same mistake again.
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topgunnh
Peter McGrath 1
The Defensive line was still in the back of the plane! Big guys on that team
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bob2013
Bob Therina 1
Does that count as a tail strike? … ;)
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pilot62
Scott Campbell 1
the tail stick courtesy of WW 2 and a stretched 37 when fully loaded that can't climb to a preferred altitude until it burns some fuel, why Boeing hasn't figured out a work around with an automatic tail stick, this beer can has work around for everything :)
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21voyageur
21voyageur 0
Perhaps a built in airbag? The 37 is long past its prime and the design is due for retirement. Poor planning by Boeing leadership who misread all the signs and focused on short-term profits. Sad.
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hardworker7
hardworker7 1
Is it possible with Covid disembarking procedures of having pax get up in small groups from the front while everyone else remains seated. That this "tipped the scales" along with football team's gear still in aft cargo + the avg weight of a football team? I've seen ground crews sometimes attach the towbar with the tug to the nose gear immediately after eng shutdown. Might that practice be "insurance policy" against this possibility?
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 1
Definitely helps!
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Billweed
Bill Weed 1
First the head line reads plane tipped over! This is not fake news it just very poor writing! Next is a photo of a plane taking off which does look like it is tipping back. Which is probably a file photo. Finally we see the plane which is at the gate and we now see it tipped back. NOT OVER!
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KennyFlys
Ken Lane 1
A wise setup would be a design that has he support pole at the aft cargo area as soon as you open the door along with a warning at the forward cargo door to insure aft cargo is unloaded first and an accompanying warning to insure a given amount of weight is loaded into the forward cargo before placing weight in aft cargo.

Weight and Balance are not issues of concern only when wheels up... in actual flight.
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gdbenn
gdbenn 0
The plane did not tip over. Over would be upside down. The plane tipped on its tail. The plane tipped backwards. The plane did a wheelie. Several ways perhaps to describe what happened but none of them should be described as, “The plane tipped over”.
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chabig
Chris Habig 4
If you had a glass of water on a table and it tipped, I think most people would be comfortable saying that it tipped over even though it didn't finish upside down.
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fireftr
Dale Ballok 0
As others pointed out, and most importantly, right at the start…It didn’t TIP over!
It “tipped” on its tail!🤷‍♂️😩
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watersw1
Bill Waters 0
WTF
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[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

GeorgePepe
George Pepe 1
What is your country, cause I doubt that. Also, the max is not banned anymore.
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cheshire
Cal Keegan -2
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

United Airlines plane tips backward while on tarmac in Idaho

A United Airlines plane tipped backward while being unloaded in Idaho, with passengers including part of the University of Southern California football team still on board.

https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/idaho/plane-carrying-usc-football-team-tips-backward-during-unloading-at-idaho-airport-lewiston-friday/277-c030a4a5-b556-42ef-9d61-a9506187c141
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bidrec
Richard Haas 1
The anonymous author of "Primary Colors" was identified as Joe Klein because he was the only writer to use the expression "tarmac-hopping" which was the term he used to describe being on the campaign trail.
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mutrock
Mark Kortum -3
It was on the Ramp or on the Apron or even "at the gate", but it was definitely NOT on "tarmac". The idiotic media need to get the terms correct.
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ewrcap
ewrcap 6
Tarmac is just a type of pavement, tar/macadam, and, at least in the U.S. refers to ANY paved part of the airport.
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chabig
Chris Habig 3
Even those areas not paved with it!
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Highflyer1950
Highflyer1950 1
Yep, we are getting old, however beats the alternative!
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fireftr
Dale Ballok -3
Again, they have no clue!🤷‍♂️😂😩
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