What happened
Two twin-engine airplanes equipped with floats were parked parallel to a dock, positioned approximately eight feet apart in a tandem formation. Both aircraft were operated by the same company and were being prepared for scheduled sightseeing flights.
The first aircraft, N288SA, was stationary with passengers on board, but the engines had not yet been started as the crew began a passenger briefing. The second aircraft, N244SA, had already completed its passenger briefing and had started its engines. This second aircraft was secured to the dock by ropes attached to the forward and aft ends of the floats, with each rope being managed by a company dock handler.
Due to a change in passenger arrival patterns from a nearby cruise ship, passengers had not been provided with briefing booklets prior to boarding. A company representative approached the forward dock handler to deliver these booklets to the flight crew. The aft dock handler observed this interaction and misinterpreted the movement as a thumbs-up signal indicating permission to release. Upon releasing the docking rope, the aircraft began moving forward under idle power, leading to a collision between the nose of N224SA and the tail of N288SA. There were no injuries reported.
Damage
As a result of the impact, N288SA sustained damage to its rudder and trim tab assembly. The aircraft N224SA sustained minor damage to the left side of the nose and the left pitot tube.