G550 Was Being Towed By A Tug When It Broke Loose

A Gulfstream G550 and a Beach King Air were involved in an accident on the ramp at Nashville International Airport (KBNA) in Tennessee Tuesday afternoon. The collision caused damage to both airplanes, but no one was injured.

Media sources including WSMV-TV in Nashville indicate that the Gulfstream, which belongs to the H.J. Heinz corporation of ketchup fame, was being towed to a parking place by Atlantic Aviation after arriving Tuesday afternoon at KBNA. It apparently broke loose from the tug, and its nose wedged up under the tail of the parked King Air, lifing the smaller airplane off the ground. The King Air is registered to West Air Holdings LLC of Memphis.

No one was on board either airplane when the accident occurred, and there were no injuries. It is not clear how the G550 broke away from the tug. Heinz released a statement stressing that there were no company employees or flight crew aboard the plane when it was under tow. "Heinz is launching a thorough investigation into the incident and we are cooperating fully with the FAA and officials. Safety is paramount at Heinz and we are taking this matter seriously," the company said in an official release.

An airport spokesperson said operations at KBNA were not affected.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov