Incident Overview
On 6 December 2002 at 1724 hrs UTC, an Airbus A330-343, registration C-GHKX, was taxiing towards the holding point for Runway 09R at London Heathrow Airport. The flight was a public transport operation with 14 crew and 261 passengers on board. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft sustained no damage.
Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft, manufactured in 2001, was powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 772B turbofan engines. The commander, aged 53, held an Airline Transport Pilot Licence and had accumulated 748 hours on the A330 type, with 166 hours in the last 90 days and 65 hours in the last 28 days. His total flying experience was not reported.
Sequence of Events
As the aircraft approached the holding area, one other aircraft was ahead on the taxiway and had already been cleared for takeoff. Resurfacing work was in progress on the adjoining link taxiway at Block 102. Due to this work, the usual taxiway centreline green lighting was not available in the immediate area, and the taxiway was marked only by blue edge lights. The commander became confused about the position of the taxiway centreline. Consequently, the starboard main landing gear wheels left the paved surface and sank into the grass on the north side of the taxiway.
Aftermath
The commander reported that he had not received any Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding the work in progress and was therefore not expecting any unusual features on the taxiway. He also noted that the wing of the aircraft ahead had obscured some of the blue edge lights of the holding bay. Following the incident, Air Traffic Control issued a NOTAM detailing the unusual lighting configuration on that taxiway.