What happened
On the early morning of 12 May 1999, a B737-500, registration EI-CDH, arrived at Dublin Airport's South Apron ahead of its scheduled arrival time. As the aircraft was being guided into Stand 38 by ground personnel, the upper surface of its port wing struck the underside electrical mechanism of an extended airbridge. The impact caused significant damage to the wing tip area and the airbridge machinery. There were no injuries to the 25 passengers or the crew on board, and passengers disembarked using the aircraft's internal airstairs.
The investigation
The investigation focused on why the airbridge was not in its designated parking position and why the ground crew failed to identify the hazard. Investigators found that the airbridge had been extended the previous evening by an airport electrician to facilitate maintenance work. Although the electrician had notified Airport Operations that the bridge was out of position and that a wingman would be necessary, this critical information was not communicated to the aircraft operator's ground staff.
Furthermore, the investigation examined the experience of the marshalling crew. The marshaller on duty was performing his first assignment following a brief two-day training course. The investigation also noted that the airbridge operators, including a trainee, had only seconds to realize the bridge was misaligned because the aircraft arrived earlier than expected.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the collision:
- The airbridge was left 12.3 metres away from its standard parked position following maintenance.
- The Airport Authority failed to communicate the hazardous status of the stand to the aircraft operator's ground crew.
- The marshaller was inexperienced, as this was his first official duty following recent training.
- The early arrival of the aircraft reduced the window of time available for the airbridge operators to identify and correct the bridge's position.
- The airbridge had been out of use for several months due to nearby renovations, meaning the crew was not accustomed to checking its position.
Safety action
Following the incident, the following safety recommendations were issued:
- The Airport Authority must provide timely and sufficient warnings to operators when stand equipment is out of service due to maintenance.
- Aircraft operators should ensure experienced personnel accompany newly trained marshallers during their initial assignments.
- Airbridge operators must verify that the bridge is in its correct parked position upon the arrival of an aircraft.