What happened
During taxi operations at the United States Postal Service (USPS) Eagle Hub Ramp, the right wing of a DC-8, operating as Flight #638, collided with the radome of a parked DC-10.
The incident occurred during C-Net operations, a period in the two weeks preceding Christmas when parking and taxi routes are modified to accommodate an increased volume of cargo flights using larger aircraft. During these operations, temporary dashed green taxi lines are painted on the ramp.
According to the crew of the DC-8, a marshaller signaled the aircraft to pull forward out of its parking position and then signaled a left turn to follow the green taxi line. However, the marshaller released the aircraft before it had intercepted the designated taxi line. The collision occurred while the aircraft was executing the turn.
Findings
Following the accident, the ground handling contractor implemented new procedures to prevent similar occurrences. Under the updated protocols, a single marshaller is no longer responsible for the entire maneuver; instead, one marshaller signals the aircraft out of the parking spot onto the appropriate taxi line, at which point a second marshaller takes over to direct the crew through the ramp area.