Event Overview
On 7 November 2021, at approximately 1905 local time, AirAsia flight AK6461, an Airbus A320-216 registered as 9M-AJN, arrived at Kuching International Airport from Sibu. The aircraft taxied and parked at Bay 1 without incident. After engine shutdown and completion of the parking checklist, the passenger boarding bridge (PBB) was connected. While passengers were disembarking, a sudden vertical and lateral jolt was felt and the PBB alarm sounded. Disembarkation was temporarily halted. It was found that the forward passenger door lower edge skin had contacted the PBB safety shoe metal structure, causing a tear.
The PBB operator was not on standby at the time of the incident and was contacted. The PBB operator later retracted the bridge backward, but due to the stuck safety shoe, a loud clicking sound was heard. The aircraft captain (CM1) instructed the operator to retract downward then backward, which succeeded. The PBB was reconnected and the remaining passengers disembarked successfully. An aircraft engineer declared the aircraft unfit to fly.
Aircraft and Personnel Information
The aircraft, an Airbus A320-216 (CEO), serial number 6145, was manufactured in 2014 and owned by SAFE N023 PTY LTD. It had a total of 20,475 flight hours. The certificate of airworthiness was valid from 22 May 2021 to 21 May 2022. The aircraft was in airworthy condition at the time.
The flight crew consisted of an aircraft commander (CM2) aged 45 with an ATPL and 10,668.44 total flying hours, and an aircraft captain (CM1) aged 30 with an ATPL and 5,602 total hours. The PBB operator was a 57-year-old male employed by Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd, with a valid PBB permit expiring 19 October 2023 and recent recertification training.
Damage
Post-incident inspection revealed a tear in the forward passenger door lower edge skin. No other damage was reported. No injuries occurred among the 136 persons on board (7 crew, 128 passengers, 1 infant).
Meteorological and Operational Conditions
The incident occurred during twilight to dusk hours. Weather was fine and was not considered a contributing factor. The PBB telephone/intercom was inoperative, and the PBB operator was not immediately reachable via walkie-talkie. The PBB at Bay 1 was a noseloader type manufactured by CIMC Tianda Airport Support Ltd, in operation since 2005.