Incident Details
At 1300 hours on 7 October 2005, a BAe 146-RJ100 aircraft, registration G-BZAT, was parked at Stand 3 of Birmingham Airport in the West Midlands. The aircraft was preparing for a public transport passenger flight. No crew or passengers were on board at the time of the incident.
Sequence of Events
After the rear baggage hold had been loaded, a motorised baggage loading belt was being reversed away from the aircraft. During this manoeuvre, the belt struck the forward edge of the hold aperture. The impact pulled the aircraft skin from the door frame structure and tore it in two places.
Damage
The damage consisted of skin pulled from the door frame structure and two tears in the aircraft skin. Repairs were necessary before the aircraft could return to service.
Ground Equipment Examination
An examination of the loading belt that struck the aircraft revealed that it was fully serviceable at the time of the incident.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a BAe 146-RJ100, manufactured in 1997. It was powered by four Lycoming LF507-1F turbofan engines. The commander held an Air Transport Pilot's Licence, was 37 years old, and had accumulated 8,338 flying hours, including 1,191 hours on type. His recent flying experience included 85 hours in the last 90 days and 39 hours in the last 28 days.