What happened
On 19 August 2000, an Airbus A3im0, registration C-GRYI, was taxiing into Stand 15 at London Gatwick Airport as part of a public transport operation. As the aircraft was maneuvering into the stand, the left engine cowl made contact with the underside of the terminal jetty. The impact resulted in a puncture measuring 12 by 6 inches on the top of the engine cowl. There were no injuries to the 9 crew members or 250 passengers on board.
The investigation
The investigation examined the functionality of the stand's guidance systems, specifically the Azimuth Guidance for Nose-In Stands (AGNIS) and the Parallax Aircraft Parking (PAPA) systems. It was established that the aircraft overshot its designated stop mark by approximately 8.7 metres.
During the maneuver, the crew focused on the illuminated AGNIS system but failed to notice the PAPA board, which was obscured by darkness. The commander noted that while the AGNIS was visible, the front floodlights for the parking aids were not active, making the PAPA board difficult to identify.
An attempt was made to prevent the collision by the ground dispatcher. The dispatcher pressed the Jetty Emergency Stop button, which isolated power to both the jetty and the parking aids. This action subsequently deactivated the jetty head Emergency Stop button, preventing the red STOP sign from illuminating when the dispatcher later pressed the second button. Subsequent testing confirmed that all emergency and parking systems were fully operational following the incident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the commander's failure to halt the aircraft before the left engine cowl struck the jetty structure.
- The commander's visibility of the PAPA board was hindered because the strip light across the top of the board was not illuminated and the area was largely dark.
- The commander experienced fatigue due to a demanding flight schedule and recent delays.
- The ground dispatcher's initial activation of the Jetty Emergency Stop button inadvertently disabled the secondary Emergency Stop button at the jetty head.