Incident Overview
On 7 March 1999 at 1910 UTC, an Airbus A300B4-622R, registration F-OIHA, was being pushed back from Stand H5 at London Heathrow Airport when the nose of the aircraft struck an air starter trolley. The aircraft, manufactured in 1989, was equipped with two General Electric CF6-50C2 turbofan engines and was operating a public transport flight with 10 crew and 140 passengers on board.
Damage and Injuries
The collision resulted in a puncture to the forward fuselage. No injuries were reported among the crew or passengers.
Pilot's Account
The Commander, aged 50, held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 14,600 total flying hours, including 1,050 hours on type. In his report, he noted that the area was very congested and that the pushback was very fast.
Investigation Source
The information for this report was provided via an Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot.