The accident happened at 8 a.m. local time, according to the director of Don Mueang International Airport Bangkok, when a machine by cheap Thai airline Nok Air was to be towed to the gate 40 minutes before its departure for Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of the country.

When the tow bar broke, the Boeing 737 rolled on and the aircraft tractor got under the fuselage of the jet in the area of ​​the left wing. It is still unclear exactly why the accident occurred.

The aircraft tugs, which weigh up to 70 tonnes (often also referred to as “pushers”), are used to move (push or pull) jets on the tarmac or in maintenance halls. Normally, a so-called brakeman (a mechanic or pilot) is supposed to be present in the cockpit of the machine in order to bring the aircraft to a standstill with its own brakes in the event of a towbar break.