Incident Overview
On 10 September 2019 at 10:00:02 UTC, an incident occurred at Tirana International Airport involving an Air Horizont (AH) Boeing 737 with registration 9H-GTC and a Guardia di Finanza (GDF) aircraft type P66T with callsign 12266. The B737 was conducting an engine test at stand 17, while the GDF aircraft was taxiing behind it. The jet blast from the B737 displaced the GDF aircraft approximately 1.5 meters from the taxiway centerline, causing the left wing to contact the ground and damage to the left wing tip tank, nose wheel gear compass, left tire, and wheel rim. No injuries were reported.
Aircraft and Personnel Information
The GDF aircraft was crewed by two pilots: the pilot in command, a 33-year-old male with a military pilot license and flight instructor rating, having 1,190 total flight hours with 1,120 on type; and the first officer, a 32-year-old male with a military pilot license and flight instructor rating, having 1,087 total flight hours with 558 on type. Both were not directly involved in flight operations at the time. The AH aircraft was manned by four technicians qualified as category B1, with experience on B737 variants including 300/400/500 and 600/700/800/900, and one technician also qualified on A318/A319/A320/A321.
Meteorological and Communication Conditions
Meteorological conditions were CAVOK (ceiling and visibility okay), and weather was determined to have no contribution to the incident. Communication transcripts were provided by Albcontrol, the air navigation service provider. The tower had very little visibility of the apron area where the incident occurred, as per aerodrome information.
Procedural Aspects
According to the investigation, standard procedures were not followed. The Air Horizont technician confirmed that the engine test was started without a marshaller present, contrary to standard operating procedures. The tower cleared the GDF aircraft to taxi with the instruction "follow Marshall and continue," which the investigators considered ambiguous. Additionally, the GDF crew passed behind the B737 after receiving clearance but were not aware that the B737 had its navigation lights on. The airline did not submit an official request to the Operations Duty Manager (ODM) for the engine run, as required by the aerodrome's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Airside 004.
Classification and Recommendations
The National Body of Air Accident and Incident Investigation in Civil Aviation (OKIIA) classified the occurrence as a Serious Incident. OKIIA recommended that Tirana International Airport, Albcontrol, and airlines strictly follow SOP Airside 004, ensure marshaller presence during engine runs, and consider designating a specific area for engine tests to avoid interference with other airport activities.