Background
On 5 October 2012, an Airbus A320 (registration 9V-TRG) operated by Tiger Airways was at Singapore Changi Airport. The aircraft had earlier departed for Kuching but returned due to bad weather and docked at Bay E7 at 1722 hours. It was scheduled to depart again at 1900 hours.
Incident Sequence
After passengers boarded, the passenger loading bridge (PLB) was retracted to the parked position. The flight crew requested an amendment to their load document, requiring the PLB to be re-docked. At about 1913 hours, the PLB was re-docked, the document amended and returned. During retraction, ground crew observed scratch marks on the lower left fuselage. A puncture was also noted. The flight was cancelled and passengers and crew disembarked.
Damage
The damage was located 1.2 m aft of the front cabin door, at the base of the door opening. It included an 8.8 cm long gouge mark with a skin puncture and two scratch patches. Additionally, two gouge marks of 2.2 cm and 4.4 cm were found nearby. The PLB cab's right side metal plate and padding were also damaged, including a chipped corner, torn padding, and a bent metal edge with cracked paint.
Investigation Findings
CCTV footage showed the PLB cab contacting and rocking the aircraft fuselage multiple times during re-docking. The cab was tilted left, making an angle with the fuselage. In contrast, docking by another operator and the initial docking at 1722 hours showed the cab nearly parallel to the fuselage. A simulation demonstrated that a non-parallel docking angle caused the PLB's right padding and metal plate to contact the fuselage. Metallurgical examination of debris found on the PLB padding confirmed two fragments were 2024 aluminium alloy matching the aircraft skin, while a white-coated fragment contained titanium dioxide, consistent with paint.