Truck Crashes Into Airplane At Pittsburgh International

Southwest Airlinesq
Photo credit (Photo by Joyce Marshall/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT/Sipa USA)

PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - A truck crashed into a parked Southwest Airplane Monday morning at Pittsburgh International Airport.

"This morning before 10:30, our airport fire rescue crews responded to Gate A1 for a report of an airline vehicle that made contact with a parked Southwest Plane," Pittsburgh International Airport Spokesman Bob Kerlik told KDKA Radio.

The driver of the vehicle was taken to a local hospital and no one else was hurt on the plane that was scheduled to fly to Denver. Kerlik told KDKA Radio that the driver might have had a "suspected medical event" that might have contributed to the crash.

Kerlik said that airport operations were unaffected by the crash.

"We have airport fire rescue who are on scene here at the airport 24-7 who respond to medical events, fire events all the time," Kerlik said. "That's part of our safety and security, which goes straight to the heart of our priorities here at the airport."

Southwest Airelines issued the following statement:

A Southwest Airlines provisioning truck made contact with an aircraft parked at gate A1 at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday morning.  Our immediate concern is for the well-being of our Ramp Agent who was driving the vehicle.  The aircraft at the gate was a Boeing 737 -800 that was scheduled to operate Flight #157 to Denver with 174 Customers onboard and a Crew of six.  At this early stage, we do not have any reports of injuries to those onboard the aircraft.  The aircraft will be taken out of service, and we are working to accommodate our Customers to their destinations as quickly as possible.   

An investigation into the crash is expected.

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