The wing of a Southwest Airline jet clipped a truck at DIA Tuesday, tipping the truck over, damaging the aircraft, and forcing passengers off the plane.
The incident happened shortly after 6 p.m., according to a passenger on the flight.
Two Denver fire trucks were dispatched to the incident, said passenger Bob Kinney, an IT executive with The Denver Post.
Southwest Flight 4309, bound for San Jose, was backing out of Concourse C, gate 28, when there was a bump, Kinney said.
“There were a couple of comments, jokes,” from fellow passengers, Kinney said. “It didn’t seem like anything serious.”
About a minute later two Denver fire trucks raced to the scene, and passengers on one side of the full flight could see the truck on its side.
A short time later the pilot told passengers that the wing had been damaged, but there was no fuel leak or further trouble.
Passengers got off the plane using air stairs, short of the concourse.
Southwest Airlines, in a statement, said there were no injuries aboard the aircraft.
The jet was being pushed back from a gate when it “came in contact with a parked aircraft service vehicle,” the airline said. “The driver of the vehicle, a Southwest employee, was taken to a local hospital for an evaluation.”
“The aircraft involved remains out of service for repairs,” Southwest said. “The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority and we appreciate the patience of our 143 customers as we work to re-accommodate them on another aircraft.”
A DIA spokesman said the truck driver’s injuries are minor.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or
