Narrative:

I was assigned to an aircraft. I was assigned to work an 'a' check with amt a. I began working on the check then proceeded to work on the flight report run sheet. It was necessary to use a lift truck in order to inspect the APU; as well as address a write-up in the flight report concerning a wing-illumination light. As I searched for a lift truck around the surrounding area; they were either in use by another assigned crew or inoperative due to zero fuel in the tank. I then proceeded to search out a lift truck in order to perform the work assigned me. After a 15-minute search; I was able to find one on the south side of the hangar. In that area; there was a lot of noise emanating from apus that were being run. There was additionally a 'huffer' that I believe was contributing to all the noise. The visibility in the surrounding area was poor due to minimal lighting in that area. I proceeded to enter into the lift truck and made my way from the south side of the hangar toward the north side; where my aircraft was located. While in transit; unbeknownst to myself; someone who previously used the vehicle before me; failed to disconnect the stairs from the lift truck. As I headed toward my aircraft; I was unaware I was towing the aircraft stairs; due to the surrounding noise in the area. There was no indication; such as the vehicle stalling; difficult to maneuver; or a bogging down of the vehicle which gave me an indication I was towing the stairs. It was not until the aircraft stairs contacted the aft APU exhaust cone on aircraft that I became aware that these stairs were connected to the piece of equipment I was driving. Once I became aware; I immediately stopped and attempted to contact production control. There was no answer to my call. I then contacted my lead mechanic and apprised him of the situation. He then debriefed the managers; who then came out and took pictures of the aircraft; as well as the stand and lift truck accordingly. In order to prevent this in the future; it would be suggested to incorporate more lighting around the surrounding area. Also; possible retraining on reinspecting ground equipment to ensure nothing is connected prior to operating a piece of equipment. Also; reinstituting the importance of disconnecting and returning any equipment that a person uses; to its proper area; so as to prevent a scenario such as what happened here. The initial equipment I needed to accomplish my task was inoperative. This forced me to have to spend time searching for workable equipment. This resulted in a time lapse of 15 minutes as a result. I was unaware of anything hooked up to the lift truck.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: After locating and then driving a lift truck around; a mechanic reports he did not know he was also towing stairs used for aircraft access. The stairs struck the B757-200 aft APU exhaust cone.

Narrative: I was assigned to an aircraft. I was assigned to work an 'A' check with AMT A. I began working on the check then proceeded to work on the Flight Report Run Sheet. It was necessary to use a lift truck in order to inspect the APU; as well as address a write-up in the Flight Report concerning a wing-illumination light. As I searched for a lift truck around the surrounding area; they were either in use by another assigned crew or inoperative due to zero fuel in the tank. I then proceeded to search out a lift truck in order to perform the work assigned me. After a 15-minute search; I was able to find one on the south side of the hangar. In that area; there was a lot of noise emanating from APUs that were being run. There was additionally a 'huffer' that I believe was contributing to all the noise. The visibility in the surrounding area was poor due to minimal lighting in that area. I proceeded to enter into the lift truck and made my way from the south side of the hangar toward the north side; where my aircraft was located. While in transit; unbeknownst to myself; someone who previously used the vehicle before me; failed to disconnect the stairs from the lift truck. As I headed toward my aircraft; I was unaware I was towing the aircraft stairs; due to the surrounding noise in the area. There was no indication; such as the vehicle stalling; difficult to maneuver; or a bogging down of the vehicle which gave me an indication I was towing the stairs. It was not until the aircraft stairs contacted the aft APU exhaust cone on aircraft that I became aware that these stairs were connected to the piece of equipment I was driving. Once I became aware; I immediately stopped and attempted to contact Production Control. There was no answer to my call. I then contacted my Lead Mechanic and apprised him of the situation. He then debriefed the managers; who then came out and took pictures of the aircraft; as well as the stand and lift truck accordingly. In order to prevent this in the future; it would be suggested to incorporate more lighting around the surrounding area. Also; possible retraining on reinspecting ground equipment to ensure nothing is connected prior to operating a piece of equipment. Also; reinstituting the importance of disconnecting and returning any equipment that a person uses; to its proper area; so as to prevent a scenario such as what happened here. The initial equipment I needed to accomplish my task was inoperative. This forced me to have to spend time searching for workable equipment. This resulted in a time lapse of 15 minutes as a result. I was unaware of anything hooked up to the lift truck.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.