Incident Overview
On the day of the incident, two float-equipped, twin-engine airplanes were parked parallel to a dock, separated by approximately eight feet. Both aircraft were operated by the same company and were preparing to depart on sightseeing flights. The first airplane, N288SA, had passengers on board but had not started its engines, and its crew was beginning a passenger briefing. The second airplane, N224SA, had completed its passenger briefing, had started its engines, and was tethered to the dock with ropes attached to the forward and aft ends of its floats. Each mooring rope was tended by a company dock handler.
The Sequence of Events
A company representative approached the forward dock handler to hand briefing booklets to the crew of N288SA. The aft dock handler observed this interaction and mistook its meaning as a "thumbs up" signal. In response, the aft dock handler released the docking rope, allowing N224SA to begin moving forward under idle power. As a result, the nose of N224SA collided with the tail of N288SA.
Damage Sustained
N288SA received damage to its rudder and trim tab assembly. N224SA received minor damage to its left pitot tube and the left side of its nose.
Contextual Details
Before the incident, due to a slight change in the manner passengers arrived from a cruise ship, the passengers on N288SA had not received a briefing booklet before boarding the airplane. This prompted the company representative to bring the booklets to the forward dock handler.