Tug to ATC 'we have a problem' Pilot to ATC 'sorry left the handbrake on'

If this was spirit, they would make the people get off and push.

Ok, everybody… off the plane and push! 😉

Bigger Tug: I am having problem pushing aircraft Smaller Tug: Hold my glass brother

Love the way theres ramp traffic still crossing whilst the aircraft is being pushed back . Jeez I would of had airport ops throw the book at me using the push back with one tug pushing another. Could of potentially damaged the nose gear .

Ladies and gentlemen this is your pilot speaking if I could get everybody to rock back and forth back and forth we should be able to leave shortly🛩🤪

I worked 44 years in airline maintenance and have pushed thousands of flts and maintenance tows. This is a case of too lite of a tug for the job and or its not in 4 wheel drive. The tug has enough hp but not enough traction. Wt will improve traction and all wheels driving will help to.

Normally that push tug should do the job for a 777-200.The wet pavement with oil on it doesn't help. There is larger push tug that can push a 777-300 that can be used too.

That luggage cart was almost creamed when the small tug backed up

I'm no certified ground operator, but... methinks that roasting the tires for the first five seconds would be clue enough to, you know, release the throttle and evaluate. The more rubber gets smeared into the tarmac, the smoother and slipperier the driving surface becomes.

I’m just imagining Kennedy Steve’s reaction to the baggage trains cutting off the aircraft 😅

Ive pushed back and towed thousands of planes and this is a first for me.

The tugs have a wet and dry chart on the side that tells you if it can push back certain aircrafts also like everyone else said about the de ice fluid. My biggest concern is that they kept trying even while burning rubber and even tried using 2 tugs? What in the world

Ex United Ramp agent from IAD here… ground to slick which is causing the pushback to skid. Either ice on the ramp there or glycol (De-icing fluid). Happens often in the winter, just a traction thing. An aircraft has to be completely balanced in order to fly, so if it was overweighted at all, they wouldn’t even push the plane out, and would fix the issue while loading or right before dispatch (pushback). Safety number one, always!

Pilots always check the weight, according to the manifest before leaving. Therefore, this tug, and the problem it's having is due to the slippery surface, and not the weight of the plane.

I have no idea why the gse vehicles aren’t stopping if there’s an active pushback.

The tug is fine, when it's winter and the ramp is coated with deicing fluid, ice and snow, the heaviest tugs can have problems pushing out planes. All there is to it

KZfaq: wanna see some troubled push back? Me: Hell yah

The problem is the tug is too lightweight for the job. They needed a heavy duty tug that can push the weight of the aircraft especially a 777 that is most likely at MTOW.

De-ice at the gate? thought there was a ramp for that

Each tug is rated for aircraft type, for this to happen its either no traction or Tug problems.

It's because they de-ice the plane at the gate and that causes the ground to be very slippery thats all.

The back and forth must have been interesting for the crew and pax.

If the B777 was too heavy, imagine the A380...

If I’m not mistaken, that tug is supposed to be 4 wheel drive. If so, its clearly NOT powering the rear axle, so technical problem? Next issue is the nimrod simply flooring it, letting the wheel spin. Reminds me of the nimrods that get stuck in the snow, so they simply stand on the throttle spinning the tires, going nowhere.

Pilot: Ladies and gentleman, we are currently suffering a pushback issue, please expect 10 minutes of delay, thank you.

Looks like a flight out of Chicago Ohare. Could be ice, glycol, or both making the surface too slippery and it is a shaded area possibly preventing the iced up surface from melting. Looks like the tug does not have 4WD. Could use chains or sand to increase traction. I'm an aircraft mechanic and that tug is rated for 777 use but they could use a bigger tug or traction aids that day.

I just always try to imagine...how a tiny vehicle pushes a huge aircraft🤗❤️

Just went through a set of tires on one push.

Oh so that's why they only allow one check-in luggage for international travel!!

No plane is “too heavy” for those tugs, they’re literally built for that purpose. Perhaps you should do a bit of research and understand that the ramp is covered in deicing fluid (glycol) which is real slippery.

I think they should of used a different type of push back tractor Requirement for the 777 I was trained on this push back method always use the correct pushback tractor to push back the right type of aircraft

finally, we have a proper push back burnout!

That tug can handle that airplane. Deicing fluid looks to be the issue. Very resourceful grabbing a smaller tug for a push. I've got hundreds of pushbacks experience but nothing on a jet of that size but even pushing a 727 was hard on a greasy surface. A tug smoke show? Now that's one I've never seen before !

Passengers: Yay! We are pushing back! Ground Crew: Hmm. It will not move. Passengers: Wait. We keep moving back and going back to the gate. Ground Crew: Dam you plane being over weight. Passengers: We will be late to our holiday party. :/

Burnouts at the airport AWESOME!

Let's not worry about flying United. Instead, let's tug united

It's like a tugboat on wheels... alot of torque with a powerful diesel engine. Most push tugs have Ballast weights to keep the tug on the ground and to make the tug heavy. A wet and oily pavement doesn't help get the job done.

I would say that clutch is toast!😁

I guess the "Aloha" will just have to wait another hour! Oh my!

I'm giving her all she's got Captain . 🤓

I’m pleasantly surprised that failed pushbacks don’t happen more often as that 777 weighs about 300 tons!

This camera angle looks just like in Home Alone 2 (same airport by the way)

My very first Midland flight was from Honolulu to Chicago O’Hare in 1976, on my way to college in Iowa. I think my latest trip was last May, March, 44 years later. United has never lost my bags or had much of a delay. Then again, I paid the same for my one-way ticket 44 years ago, as I did last year round-trip. This ramp fiasco has me scratching my head on whether I should continue flying.

Judging from the undeterred nature of the repeated pushback attemps, and the small tug helping out, i guess they have that situation more often then should be. its time to get a heavier tug.

The captain probably thinking, WTF is going on down there.

I guess this plane just needs another 777-300 to hook on to n to pull it back!

Hold on Fred, I'll go get my F-250

That's interesting! Would you be okay with me featuring this in an episode of Weekly Dose of Aviation? Of course you will be credited both in the video and in the description.

I'm not sure, but most of these tugs has 4x4 setup to pushing heavy planes. This vehicle is using single (front) traction. If someone knows more, please clarify that

As a tow aircraft operator I would wonder what this guy was thinking. Why use a gt50 In wet/ slippery conditions for a 777-200? This tug to just about do it when it's dry but not fair too well in thos condition. That tractor won't cut it trying to push behind. He should have used a bigger tug. In my station, these series of tugs are used for a330 and below, we stopped using them on 777s. A JBT B1200 sized tug can easily push this and with weight package, it could push an a380. The other option is to call the tow crew to use their towbarless tugs no matter the brand, to push this out. Those tugs lift the plane by the nose gear thus taking on a part of the plane's weight improving traction. The tug used here is too light weight for these conditions and doesn't have enough power also due to being 2 wheel drive. They could have tried salting/ sanded the ground too as that can be worth a shot. Edit: in the follow up video, they used a bigger tug.

The first time the wheels skid and I don't get anywhere, I'm terminating the push and seeking some other form of pushback. It is insane to me that they kept trying to push when it wasn't working.

Flight Information Display: Departed, Arrived, Departed, Arrived, oh I give up.

I have been working on the ramp now for 30+ years now for 3 major carriers,and pushed and pulled mean a/c's. When the deice fluid gets on paint markings and the tug is pushing on angle ,there is no traction until he gets more out there.

Ohare is one of the last places that allows deicing at the gate.

Slippery when wet, more so with glycol.....

Why is it able to go in reverse just fine, and not forward❓

oof, slick conditions do make a pushback tough

When you forgot to release parking brake:

What's really crazy is all the ramp traffic still driving a moving aircraft and becons on !!!

The pilot on the taxiway: oh, the parking brake

Nothing like giving it a tug and not getting a happy ending.

We at Continental just asked the crew to go idle reverse and the pushback was like dry pavement.

Ramps are designed to be on a slight incline, to aid push back.

In San Jose a SouthWest Boeing 737-8H4 was too heavy to take off and the pushback failed there too. We had to move to a different gate.

I think the tug has a mechanical issue cuz you can see how much smoke is coming out of it

You would think they would make those with locking diffs or something. Have to push a plane on slick tarmac, and all you got is a peg-leg to work with.

I guess this is why tugs grab the plane's front wheel and lift it off the ground adding the plane's weight to the traction of the tug. Either that or too many passengers were eating at too many buffets

Stunning capture! May I feature this clip in one of my next episodes? Of course with a link back to your original video. Cheers!

This happened to me and my lead at YYZ we were pushing back a 737-700 and in the middle of the Apron the Tug Died and shut off lol

Been there, done that 😄 With a fully loaded 747-2- or 400 and a small rwd 25tons truck 😄

Buddy in the little tug, even see that baggage truck coming behind him? could have been another disaster

When the little tug comes along to help lmao

1 question. If the plane was that hard to push back, to takeoff he gonna need more space and difficulties to go up. Or its just the lil car dont have enough power to push it back?

Wheels are slipping due de-ice residue in apron

It isn't heavy....it just the area is wet with low friction...

I'm Pretty sure this wasn't in the operation manual, or safety procedures...and why the hell are all the ground equipment passing behind an active pushback?

Time for reverse thrust 😳

Passengers are thinking like WTF is going on with this forwards & backwards lol.

I am not a airline expert but i am mechanical and always thought pushing a airplane from the front wheel makes no sense. I guess they do it because the tug is in front and may do the least damage. I still think the jet blue with the crossway front landing gear was due to tug damage!

me trying to push the old lady into the house after a night at the bar

Are you sure the aircraft parking brake is OFF. .???? Did you check first ??????

Oh where is Kennedy Steve when the Very -Slow- Weak Super Tug _x_ can't cut the mustard. 🤭 Why did they think a baggage tuglet would make any difference except to leave more rubber on the apron?

This guy thought he was at a burnout competition lol I remember back in the days when i was working at the airport, i tried to get the wheels on the pushback truck to spin in the wet but obviously it didn't go too well lol.

Nice video!

Isn't this why they're supposed to do anti-ice washdowns away from the gate where friction with the ground is no longer an issue?

Why is the pushback reversing the plane while there aren't any wing walkers present to prevent aircraft collision? And why are airside vehicles moving behind the reversing plane? I work at an apron reserved for logistic operations, and that would be considered a major airside safety violation.

That's heavy! (Literally)😂

Ok, I’ve seen it done before. Why could the pilot not have started the engines and pushed himself back using the thrust reversers?

Wet concrete surface is making it difficult too.

The question to me is why any grounds personnel would proceed to push an aircraft that costs hundreds of millions of dollars when there is clearly no traction or when you decide to use a smaller tractor to "push" the back of another.

That gate is nasty - cluttered, congested, oily/slippery. Skidding tires, swerving tug(s), tug w/ baggage carts cutting by too closely....reckless. It all makes me wonder about the safety values of dispatches from gates like this one.

He forgot to turn off his brakes

All the pilot had to do was put the transmission in reverse. He could clearly see that push back tug was having trouble?

To be more precise, the tires do not have enough traction.

I thought microsoft flight simulator is just glitchhing then i realize that it is real

Been there, done that...Slick ground and worn tires. I would take the pushback tug outta service. If this guy spun his wheels too much then caught dry ground he'd brake a towbar. These days it requires a mechanic to come out and check the nose gear. Then the supervisor comes running out to take pictures. Delay! Then they start looking for someone to blame..Better to just cover your butt and take it out of service

Wow 😯 that BURNOUT from Tow Truck

Seems problem is with the truck being used to tow the airplane. It doesn't seem to have a problem going in reverse, only forward. Anyway, obviously need to get another tug. And seriously, vehicles behind airplane still keep going while airplane is being pushed back (Wing walkers hello? lol! Wake up) plus second tug was almost hit by that little truck pulling baggage cart.

Pushback tractor is way too light and too small for a Boeing 777 on wet pavement. In this case, it really shouldn't even be used on dry pavement either. That sized tractor is normally used on narrow bodied jetliners such as the 737 and A320 aircraft, not widebodies like this plane.