Incident History
On 12 December 2002, at approximately 09:15 UTC, a team from Louro Aircraft Services (LAS) began maintenance on an Airbus A300 B4-203, registration OO-DLT, operated by European Air Transport (EAT) on behalf of DHL. The aircraft had landed earlier that morning and was parked at position B-04. The team, led by a certified maintenance technician, received a request from EAT to verify the part numbers (P/N) of the nose gear up-lock units, located inside the nose gear well.
The team leader manually opened the forward nose gear doors using the respective handles, climbed a stepladder, read the P/Ns, and had them recorded. After completing this task, he removed the ladder and requested a colleague to pressurize the green hydraulic system from the cockpit to close the doors. The right-hand door closed immediately upon selection, but the left-hand door did not respond. After several attempts, the technician decided to place the ladder again and investigate the obstruction.
Disregarding procedures recommended by the aircraft maintenance manual and warnings posted near the manual operation levers, the technician climbed the ladder and began feeling along the actuator rods of the left door to locate the blockage. Unexpectedly, the left door closed, trapping the technician between the two nose gear doors, with his neck and upper chest compressed. A colleague immediately ran to the cockpit and depressurized the hydraulic system to relieve pressure, causing the victim to fall onto the apron.
The airport medical post was notified, and a nurse arrived to provide first aid. Due to the severity of the injuries, an ambulance from the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM) was requested, arriving about ten minutes later. The victim was transported to São José Hospital in Lisbon.
Injuries and Damage
The technician suffered severe internal injuries and multiple fractures, including fractures to the ribs, spine, and upper limbs. Despite medical care, he died three days after the incident. The aircraft sustained no damage, and no other persons or property were harmed.
Investigation Findings
The investigation reviewed witness testimony, maintenance documentation, and manufacturer manuals. A demonstration of the manual door operation was conducted on a similar aircraft; the right door closed immediately, while the left door required three selections of the manual actuation handle before closing. The investigation did not identify any mechanical malfunction as the cause. The technician held a valid maintenance license and was qualified for Airbus A300 line maintenance. LAS held a JAR-145 maintenance organization approval and had appropriate training and procedures in place.
The report does not explicitly state a probable cause for the accident.