Identification and Prevention of Safety Hazards During Towing of Large Airplanes

Abstract

The introductory part of the article discusses briefly the basic principles and methods of towing large aircrafts. Then, events that occurred while different large passenger planes were towed are analyzed. Based on the analysis, the main causes of plane damages during towing are indicated. The percentage distribution of individual identified risk factors is determined to show that the main cause is the broadly understood human factor, especially errors of service personnel and the crew. Finally, preventive recommendations were made based on the analysis; they can help avoid such events. The analysis stimulates further research in this field and highlights the necessity to continuously analyze the risk, which should minimize the number of towing-related incidents.