What happened
On 7 March 2000, an Airbus A320-211, registration F-GHQK, arrived at London Heathrow Airport from Paris. After the aircraft had parked at Stand G14 and the engines were shut down, passengers began disembarking. During this period, a ramp agent operating a mobile conveyor-belt vehicle, commonly referred to as a belt loader, approached the rear cargo hold.
While the driver was attempting to adjust the belt to the necessary operating height, the vehicle's handrail made forceful contact with the aircraft's hold door. The impact resulted in a six-inch gouge in the door. There were no injuries to the 64 passengers or 8 crew members on board, and no injuries were reported by the ground staff.
The investigation
Investigators reviewed the aircraft damage report, a statement from the vehicle driver, and a report from the handling agent. The inquiry established that the driver initially stopped the belt loader a few feet from the aircraft and placed the vehicle in neutral while raising the belt. However, upon realizing the belt height was insufficient, the driver drove the vehicle forward toward the aircraft while it was still in gear.
As the driver continued to raise the belt, his foot slipped from the brake pedal. Because the vehicle was still in gear, the momentum caused the belt loader to move into the aircraft, leading to the collision.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was operator error during the positioning of the belt loader.
- The driver failed to secure the vehicle by selecting neutral gear and applying the handbrake before adjusting the belt elevation.
- Following the incident, the handling agent's coordinator determined that the driver required retraining on standard operating procedures, and his upgrade training was suspended for a minimum of three months.