What happened
On the morning of 1 April 2015, two Boeing 737-8AS aircraft were involved in a ground collision at the intersection of Taxiway LINK 2 and F1 at Dublin Airport. The first aircraft, EI-DWE, was stationary on Taxiway LINK 2, waiting for departure clearance for a flight to Croatia. The second aircraft, EI-DYA, was following behind and had been cleared by the Surface Movement Controller to turn right onto Taxiway A to hold short of Runway 34.
As the pilot of EI-DYA executed the right turn, the tip of the aircraft's port side winglet struck the starboard elevator of the stationary EI-DWE. The impact caused substantial damage to the elevator of EI-DWE and the tip of the winglet on EI-DYA. There were no injuries to the crew or the passengers on either aircraft.
Following the contact, the pilot of EI-DYA stopped the aircraft to assess the damage. The crew of EI-DWE initially felt a sudden movement, which they initially mistook for a mechanical issue with the landing gear, before realizing a collision had occurred. Emergency services were deployed to the scene, and passengers from both flights were eventually disembarked via mobile steps and returned to the terminal via buses.
The investigation
AAIU investigators examined the positioning of both aircraft and the sequence of taxi clearances. The investigation determined that EI-DWE was positioned with its nose slightly inside Taxiway F1, but its tail section was angled in a way that caused the starboard elevator to extend significantly beyond the edge of the taxiway. Specifically, the right-hand elevator was only about 1.7 meters from the edge of the taxiway, which was insufficient clearance for a Boeing 737-8AS to pass safely.
Investigators also reviewed the airfield's operational procedures. Notably, a similar collision involving the same aircraft types had occurred at the same location in October 2014. The investigation looked into whether existing safety warnings and taxiway restrictions were sufficient to prevent a recurrence of such an event.