What happened
During ground operations, a deicing vehicle was positioned next to an airplane to remove accumulated ice. Two personnel were involved in this process: the driver operating the vehicle from the cab and a ground employee stationed in the elevated bucket attached to the boom.
The crew completed the spraying operation as planned. The driver then began to move the vehicle away from the aircraft to clear the area. Shortly after, the employee in the bucket noticed that ice had reaccumulated on the vertical stabilizer of the airplane.
To address this issue, the driver initiated a turn to bring the deicing boom back toward the aircraft. During this maneuver, the boom made contact with the airplane. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the left elevator.