Pinnacle’s Northwest Airlink Flight 2544 from Grand Rapids to Detroit landed at 6 a.m. and was taxiing to the gate when it was struck by a Delta/Comair baggage tug. The tug struck the left wing and dented the fuselage, according to Spokesperson Joe Williams, who said fuel began leaking, prompting dispatch of the CFR unit at the hub. The unit sprayed foam on the aircraft and taxiway as a precaution. There were no injuries amongst the 21 passengers and three crew who deplaned normally through the passenger door and were bused to the terminal. However, the Comair tug operator suffered minor injuries and transported to the hospital. Reports were made to the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. Pinnacle is proceeding with an internal investigation. NTSB was not planning to investigate.

The incident came on the heels of a Flight Safety Foundation International Air Safety Symposium during which more than 300 attendees heard FSF Foundation Fellow Dr. Earl Weener describe the progress of the Runway Safety Initiative's (RSI) efforts. Related Story The RSI program, an industry-wide effort, is lead jointly by Dr. Weener and Jim Burin, FSF Director of Technical Programs.

Dr. Weener presented data to show that a focus on prevention of runway excursions, where an aircraft leaves the runway in an uncontrolled manner, is essential to improving global air transportation safety. "During the twelve year period from 1995 through 2007, of the global 393 runway-related accidents involving commercial transports, 96 percent, or approximately nineteen out of twenty, were runway excursions," noted Dr. Weener. "Those accidents accounted for approximately seventy percent of the fatalities in runway-related accidents."

The RSI team, formed in early 2007, includes representatives of all major segments of the commercial air transportation industry — airline and pilot organizations, airports, air traffic control providers, accident investigation and regulatory agencies, and aircraft manufacturers. The team's focus includes the development of a comprehensive reference document for the prevention and mitigation of runway excursion accidents. In addition, the widely used FSF Approach and Landing Accident Reduction (ALAR) Toolkit will be revised to reflect the enhanced understanding garnered by the RSI team, with a projected release in mid-2009.