I don't usually file trip reports, but what happened on my American Airlines flight from Chicago's O'Hare (ORD) to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) Sunday evening (Oct. 29) was unusual enough to warrant breaking my silence and telling the tale to those who might be interested. The first 620 miles were just fine. It was the last 20 feet of travel from gate H-11B at ORD to gate C-1 at BWI that got interesting, because that's when the wingtip hit the fuel truck.

This was a personal trip to visit a young lady for the weekend, so I was a cheapskate - I'd usually fly from Washington National (DCA) but since I was paying for these tickets myself, the airfare from National was over $300 and I could get there from BWI for $173, I decided to make the about-an-hour drive from my home in the Virginia suburbs of D.C. My scheduled itinerary was

Oct 27: AA#1183 departs BWI 9:55am, arrives ORD 10:56am
Oct 29: AA#1028 departs ORD 4:20pm, arrives BWI 7:08pm

The outbound trip on Friday, October 27 was typically unmemorable. At least for me, but some of the people on the next leg of the flight I took would probably have a different story. All of American's service between BWI and ORD is flown by MD-80s. The mid-morning flight continues on from Chicago to Los Angeles (LAX). AA#1183 was scheduled for a 9:55am departure, but pushed back about five minutes late. The aircraft was just short of full. In fact, I think the only empty seat on the whole plane was the center seat next to my assigned seat in 9D. (One of those times I love carrying an AAdvantage Platinum card). There was only beverage service, and when I asked for coffee the flight attendant asked if I'd like juice as well. A nice personalizing touch from what could be a rather robotic job pushing the drink cart down the aisle. Smooth air, a couple of magazines I've been trying to get to, and despite leaving BWI a few minutes late we reached our gate at the far end of ORD's H pier ten minutes early, at 10:45am. As is usual in the final minutes of a flight, one of the flight attendants had advised passengers making connections the locations of their new gates, and offered passengers going on to LAX the option of leaving the plane for a few minutes since the flight would be on the ground for a little more than an hour. Except that after we'd landed, one of the O'Hare station personnel took the intercom and announced that AA#1183 would not be continuing on to Los Angeles because of "air traffic control problems". He advised that the next flight was full, and passengers could stand by for it but that most wouldn't be leaving for California until the afternoon. As for me, I deplaned, found Cindy waiting just outside the jetbridge, and went off for a weekend of deep-dish pizza, cold beer and an early Halloween costume party.

Sunday afternoon brought me back to O'Hare for AA#1028 to BWI. Departure was scheduled for 4:20pm. I checked in out front at about 3:15pm and saw that the upgrade to first class I'd requested at the time I'd bought the tickets had come through. Instead of 9B I'd be flying in 3E. Cindy and I cleared through security to the gate - once again on the H pier. The flight was overbooked, and American was offering a $400 'bump' voucher to anyone willing to wait for the 8:35pm departure should the airline need their seats. I volunteered but no one was needed after all, so I said goodbye and boarded. Another passenger asked if I'd mind swapping seats with him so he could sit with his wife. No big deal for me, so I said 'sure' and went to sit in 3A instead of 3E.

AA#1028 pushed back two minutes early, at 4:18pm. A short taxi, a very short wait (especially by ORD standards) behind only one other aircraft and we were in the air before 4:30pm. Again the air was smooth. There was a 'snack' service in first class, beverages only in coach. The meal was a choice of shrimp salad or turkey and swiss cheese sandwich on a croissant. I took the sandwich, which came with a small green salad (prepackaged caesar dressing) and potato salad and two prepackaged cookies. Not bad, but not especially memorable, either, although it went well with my gin and tonic. Along with the usual cabin announcements, the captain made a couple of announcements mid-flight that were a bit out of the ordinary. As the MD-80 was crossing over a city, he came on the intercom to tell us that we were above Columbus, Ohio and talked about the amount of fuel we'd used and converted that to the gas mileage we were getting - about 1/3 of a mile per gallon. Which, he said, doesn't sound very good "until you remember that we're carrying 135 people at 540 miles per hour." The second announcement was an addition to the usual 'we're approaching our destination' PA announcement. As he told us we were descending toward BWI, the captain mentioned that his "friend Steve has a happy meal back there, and I hope he saved me some of his french fries." The captain had been in the gate area before departure, and he was a very friendly and personable sort who'd engaged in a number of conversations with passengers. I'm guessing that Steve was the boy of about ten whom the captain had taken on a tour of the plane before boarding started.

Anyway, the flight was, as I said, very ordinary. Touchdown was at 7:03pm and the MD-80 taxied toward the American gates at BWI's C pier. We stopped just after turning into the space between the C and D piers because, according to the announcement from the flight deck, there was another aircraft pulling back from the gate and we'd proceed after the way was clear. The other plane taxied past on the right - although it was dark by now and the silhouette was difficult to see I believe it was a USAirways F100 - and we again moved forward. We passed another American MD-80 sitting at C-3 being serviced, and from my window seat I could see the ground handlers signaling for the left turn as our aircraft headed in toward C-1. It looked like gate arrival would be right on time.

Then it happened.

A loud crunching sound, about one second in duration, and a sharp deceleration. The flight attendant in the first class section, who'd been back by the coat closet, was thrown forward to the galley. Fortunately, he kept his balance and remained on his feet. His training also kicked in, because even as he's rocketing forward trying to keep his footing he announces (with no intercom needed) in what I believe the military calls "command voice" "Everybody please stay in your seat and keep your seatbelt fastened until we know what's going on."

All of us in the bulkhead row of first class lean forward to check on him - he assures us he's fine and even jokes "now you know why we tell you to keep your seat belt fastened until we tell you it's OK." The plane is stopped short of the gate and from my window I can see ground crew converging on us from both the C and D piers. Since the D pier workers are USAirways crew, I'm thinking that's not a good sign.

The captain comes on the intercom at this point, and his first words after identifying himself are, "No, that wasn't normal." He goes on to say that he thinks the aircraft ran over a wheel chock that was left where it shouldn't have been, explains what a chock is for the benefit of passengers who aren't familiar with the term, and while apologizing for the delay says that after a couple of minutes of inspection we'll move up to the gate. Ground crew are moving around the plane now; and I'm familiar enough with the process to realize it's much more than the usual number of ground crew.

A couple of minutes later, the captain comes back on the intercom to announce it wasn't a wheel chock. What had actually happened, the ground crew tells him, was a "fender bender involving our aircraft's left wingtip and a fuel truck." So, he announces, he was shutting down the engines and we'll be towed the rest of the way to the gate. Please remain seated, he says, and keep the seat belts fastened. Shortly after that the captain walks from the cockpit back toward the rear of the plane, I'm presuming to make his own visual inspection.

A few minutes after that, about ten minutes total since the accident, there's another intercom message from the captain, using one of the intercom stations in the passenger cabin. It seems that this particular MD-80 isn't moving anywhere for a while, even towed. So, he's lowering the rear airstair and ordering everybody off the plane, where we'll be directed around the right side of the aircraft and across the tarmac to an entrance to the terminal.

So this time all the main cabin passengers get to exit before first class - we wait our turn, walk down the stairs beneath the tail (first time I've done that in over 25 years) and find the captain waiting at the bottom, where most of the passengers have a word or two with him. We'd spoken at O'Hare when he was in the gate area, so I complement him for all but the last few feet of the trip. He chuckles and said, "Yeah, but take a look. I'm right on the yellow line. I'm not the one who's parking in the wrong place." We shake hands, I wish him luck with the paperwork, and walk into the terminal. Climbing a flight of stairs, I come out beside our intended gate, C-1. I can hear half of several conversations people at the gate waiting to take the plane's return flight to Chicago are having on their cell phones. Most of them are some variation of "you're not going to believe this, but our plane hit a fuel truck. We're not arriving until tomorrow."

All I had was carry-on, so it's off to the satellite parking lot, into my Honda and out onto the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Where I drive very carefully.

Gregg Wiggins

Interesting trip report. Thanks.

Great report.

I'm glad you didn't hit a Ford Pinto!