Aircraft and Crew
The incident involved an Airbus A320, registration LZ-BHA, powered by two CFM56-5A turbofan engines. The aircraft was manufactured in 1989. The flight was a public transport passenger service with 6 crew and 20 passengers on board. None of the occupants were injured. The commander, aged 39, held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 10,900 flying hours, including 780 hours on type.
Incident Details
On 19 June 2005 at 0755 UTC, the aircraft was being manoeuvred onto Stand 27 at Belfast International Airport, Northern Ireland. The commander taxied the aircraft onto the stand following the Azimuth Guidance Nose-In Stands (AGNIS) indication and brought it to a halt. As the aircraft stopped, the left wing collided with a set of mobile steps that had been positioned adjacent to the stand.
Ground Crew Actions
Prior to the aircraft's arrival, a member of the ground crew used a small tug to position mobile steps near the stand, judging the location to be safe. The steps were adjusted to approximately the height of the A320 doorway. Another ground crew member then activated the AGNIS equipment. The handling agent's procedures required the ground crew to ensure that the stand was clear before activating the AGNIS system. However, most stands at the airport were marked with white boundary lines, but Stand 27 was not.
Damage
The aircraft sustained damage to its wing tip as a result of the collision with the mobile steps.