What happened
On 30 May 2023, a Bombardier Challenger 3 350, registration LN-JHH, was taxiing at Dundee Airport for parking following a commercial passenger flight. The aircraft was being guided into Stand 1B by a marshaller. As the aircraft approached the edge of the apron, the left wingtip made contact with a lamppost, causing the aircraft to come to an abrupt stop. There were no injuries to the three crew members on board, but the collision resulted in damage to the left winglet.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation reviewed CCTV footage and interviewed the personnel involved. The footage revealed that two wing spotters, positioned to monitor clearance, identified the impending collision and began signaling for the aircraft to stop approximately four seconds before impact. However, these signals were not observed by the flight crew or the marshaller.
Investigators found that the marshaller's position at the head of the stand made it difficult to accurately judge the distance between the far-side wingtip and the lampposts. Furthermore, the wing spotter closest to the lamppost was partially obscured by the aircraft's fuselage from the marshaller's perspective. The flight crew noted that the wing sweep of the aircraft made it difficult to visually estimate clearance from the obstacle.
Findings
- The marshaller directed the aircraft too close to the apron boundary.
- The flight crew and the marshaller were both focused on the marshalling signals and failed to notice the signals from the wing spotters.
- The wing spotters' signals were not seen by the crew or the marshaller due to their mutual focus on the aircraft's movement.
- The aircraft's wing sweep hindered the crew's ability to judge the proximity of the wingtip to the lamppost.