| Status |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date | Saturday 8 August 1998 |
| Time | 15:55 LT |
| Type |
 Airbus A320-231 |
| Operator | Prime Air |
| Registration | N302ML |
| MSN | 338 |
| Year of manufature | 1992 |
| Engines | Int'l Aero En V2500-A1 |
| Crew | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Passengers | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Total occupants | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 181 |
| Aircraft damage | None |
| Location | Denver, CO  United States of America
|
| Phase | Taxi |
| Nature | Unknown |
| Departure Airport | (KDEN) |
| Destination Airport | (KCUN) |
| Narrative | The aircraft was pushed back from the gate and the crew set the parking brake. They notified the ground crew that they were cleared to disconnect the tug from the aircraft. The flight crew received a clearance by Ramp Control and began to taxi. The nose wheel of the aircraft then ran over one of the ground crewman's legs. According to the injured crewman, the tow bar connection to the aircraft was jammed. He disconnected the tow bar from the tug, and went to release the tow bar from the airplane's nose. He noticed the aircraft start to move, then roll over his legs. According to him, at no time following his braking instructions to the flight crew did he give them a clearance signal to initiate taxi. According to cockpit voice transcripts, a crew member replied, 'I apologize, I thought we were clear' after being told of the accident. The tow bar was still attached to the aircraft and the tug was still directly in front of the aircraft immediately following the accident. Neither the airline nor the ramp contractor's pushback procedures provide instructions for communications should there be a problem with the tow bar disconnect process. This was a contract operation with a weekly frequency. Probable Cause: The failure of the flight crew to comply with braking instructions after being instructed by ground personnel. |
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