Incident Overview
On 16 June 2021, at 0104 UTC, a Boeing 737-4Y0F cargo aircraft, registration EC-MIE, was involved in a serious incident at East Midlands Airport. The aircraft had just completed an uneventful pushback from Stand 99 on the West Apron. After pushback, the towbar was left on the taxiway in front of the aircraft. As the aircraft commenced taxiing towards Runway 27, its left landing gear ran over the towbar. The missing towbar was noticed when the ground crew returned the tug to the towbar parking area. The aircraft was subsequently stopped from taking off to allow an inspection. Damage was found to two landing gear tyres, which were replaced before the aircraft departed after a delay of nearly four hours. There were no injuries to the two crew members on board.
Ground Crew Actions
The ground crew consisted of a headset operative (HO) and a tug driver (TD). During the pushback, after the aircraft was disconnected, the HO placed a chock in front of the nosewheel. The HO's last task was to remove the chock and hand it to the TD. However, the HO walked away without removing the chock. The TD noticed this and left the towbar unsecured on the rear of the tug to go remove the chock himself. He then drove the tug off the taxiway without securing the towbar, leaving it on the taxiway. The HO gave the visual clearance to the crew without checking the area in front of the aircraft was clear. Neither ground crew member checked the taxiway before leaving.
Aircraft Taxi and Discovery
After receiving ATC clearance to taxi, the aircraft began to move. The co-pilot felt a momentary application similar to toe brakes but the commander had not applied them. They did not see the towbar. Meanwhile, when the tug arrived at the towbar parking area, the HO discovered the towbar was not attached. The TD immediately drove back to the stand, entering the taxiway without permission, and found the damaged towbar. He informed ATC and his supervisor. As the aircraft waited at the holding point, ATC informed the crew of the incident, and the aircraft returned to a stand for inspection. Damage to two left landing gear tyres was found and the tyres were replaced.
Conclusion and Safety Actions
The investigation concluded that the aircraft taxied over a towbar due to a combination of the HO forgetting to remove the chock and the TD being distracted by this while connecting the towbar to the tug. Both crew members also failed to check the area in front of the aircraft. As a result, the handling agent implemented safety actions: clarifying roles and responsibilities, establishing clear procedures for chock removal, taxiway clearance, and requiring the tug driver to wait until the aircraft has taxied away. Training materials and auditing processes were also revised.