Airport ramps are dense, fast, and unforgiving. When a tug, belt-loader, or fuel/de-ice truck hits a person or aircraft, liability usually turns on a few concrete things: airfield right-of-way rules, visibility/PPE, spotter or marshalling procedures, vehicle telematics/video, and whether the operator (or employer) followed FAA/airport training and OSHA safety requirements.
The rules that frame these cases
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FAA ground-vehicle operations: Airports must train and control vehicles on movement and non-movement areas; FAA AC 150/5210-20A (and its training appendices) is the national guidance many airports adopt or mirror. Expect local rules on badges, radio use, speed, escorting, and crossing hold lines.
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Marshalling & servicing basics: FAA AC 00-34B compiles best practices for aircraft ground handling, servicing, and marshalling—useful to benchmark safe approaches, hand signals, and equipment positioning.
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OSHA + high-visibility PPE: OSHA treats hi-vis vests/garments as PPE; ANSI/ISEA 107-2020 sets the visibility classes airports typically require on the ramp (day/night/low-light). If workers lacked appropriate classed garments or lighting, that’s a visibility failure.
Airfield right-of-way and line discipline
Movement vs. non-movement areas divide who controls the surface; crossing the non-movement boundary (solid/dashed yellow) without authorization or crossing a hold short line is a classic training failure. Photos, diagrams, and local driver manuals prove what the operator should have done and where.
Spotters, marshalling, and “eyes on” rules
Many ramp tasks require a wing-walker/spotter or marshaller when maneuvering near aircraft, jet bridges, or tight gate geometry. Compare what happened to airport SOPs and AC 00-34B: were spotters posted, was the hand-off clear, did the driver stop when losing visual contact? Those deviations are powerful negligence evidence.
Visibility: lighting, markings, and PPE
At night, in rain, or with glare, conspicuity is everything. We verify:
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Hi-vis class on vests/jackets (ANSI/ISEA 107 label),
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Vehicle lighting (beacons, work lights) and brake/indicator function,
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Markings on belt-loaders/tugs and cone placement.
Missing or inadequate visibility measures violate OSHA’s PPE framework and common airport policies.
Telematics and video: what proves the story
Modern GSE often runs video-telematics (forward/driver cams, speed, g-events) similar to roadway fleets. Ask the vendor (e.g., Lytx/Samsara) for native video + metadata—speed, throttle, harsh-brake flags, timecodes—not just a clipped MP4. These platforms typically log event-triggered clips and/or continuous breadcrumbs that show approach speed, impact, and post-impact behavior.
Common liability patterns (and the proof to pull)
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Belt-loader strikes a wing or person
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Theories: No spotter, improper clearance, loader not at idle/neutral, missing chocks, inattention.
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Proof: Loader telematics/video, gate-area CCTV, SOPs/training records, injury logs; OSHA accident abstracts show recurring loader/tug injury modes.
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Tug pushes through a non-movement boundary without clearance
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Theories: Training failure; breach of airport driver’s manual; distracted operation.
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Proof: Vehicle breadcrumbs vs. boundary markings; radio logs; AC 150/5210-20A training rosters.
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Nighttime pedestrian hit on the ramp
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Theories: No/insufficient ANSI-107 hi-vis, poor vehicle lighting, speed too high for conditions.
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Proof: PPE photos/labels, beacon status, camera metadata on speed/g-events, SOP excerpts on night ops.
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What to request in week one
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Airport: Ramp CCTV for the full window (not just the “clip”); driver training manual; airfield driver training records; incident/ops logs.
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Employer/Vendor: Native telematics (CSV/JSON) + original video with metadata; pre/post-shift GSE inspections; route/assignment logs.
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Policies: PPE policy (hi-vis class by task/area), spotter/marshalling SOPs, speed limits, and boundary-crossing rules.
How Morrin Law Office proves ground-vehicle claims
We align FAA training guidance, airport SOPs, and OSHA/ANSI requirements with what telematics and video show actually happened. That triangulation—rules, records, and data—turns a chaotic ramp into a minute-by-minute narrative of who was careless and why.
Sources
- FAA AC 150/5210-20A (Ground Vehicle Operations on Airports). Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA AC 00-34B (Aircraft Ground Handling, Servicing, and Marshalling). Federal Aviation Administration
- OSHA Airline Industry portal (PPE and airport safety resources). OSHA
- OSHA interpretation—high-visibility garments as PPE. OSHA
- ANSI/ISEA 107-2020 quick reference (hi-vis classes for ramp personnel). 3M Multimedia
- Movement vs. non-movement boundary explainer. PilotWorkshops
- Telematics/video overviews for GSE-like fleets. GPS Insight
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