What happened
On 29 August 2001, at approximately 14:20 UTC, an Airbus A321-231, registration G-MIDL, was positioned at Stand C45 at London Heathrow Airport. The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger flight to Amsterdam, with 185 passengers and 8 crew members on board. At the time of the incident, passenger boarding had already concluded, and the crew were performing final pre-departure tasks, including the completion of the load sheet.
During this period, the external boarding steps located at door 1L were raised. However, these steps were not sufficiently cleared from the aircraft's immediate vicinity before the movement occurred. This action forced the aircraft door upward, resulting in mechanical damage to the door's components.
The investigation
Following the event, the AAIB examined the damage to the aircraft. The investigation established that the movement of the boarding steps directly impacted the door assembly. The physical damage included twisted upper door hinges and damaged door bearings. The commander reported that the incident was a result of ground staff failing to adhere to standard ground handling procedures.