Incident Overview
On January 20, 2016, an Airbus A320-216 operated by a Spanish airline was preparing for departure from Munich Airport to Madrid. The aircraft, carrying 110 passengers and six crew members, experienced a serious incident on the ground involving a collision with two de-icing vehicles. No persons were injured, but the aircraft sustained minor damage, and property damage occurred to the service vehicles.
Sequence of Events
The flight crew received clearance to taxi to De-icing Area DA14 via Taxiway S. During the approach, the aircraft passed the intended turn-off point for Taxiway B14. The ground controller instructed the crew to hold position and then authorized a sharp right turn to return to the de-icing area. The aircraft taxied back at low speed and reached the designated hold point.
While performing the 'Before De-icing' checklist, the pilot-in-command (PIC) inadvertently activated the cargo smoke extinguisher discharge switch instead of the ditching valve switch. Recognizing the error, the crew decided to abort the de-icing procedure and return to the parking stand. They communicated this technical issue to the de-icing team, who agreed to wait.
Collision Details
The ground controller subsequently cleared the aircraft to taxi via Runway 26L to reach the stand. As the PIC released the parking brake and advanced the thrust levers, the aircraft began to move forward unexpectedly. The FDR recorded a change in longitudinal acceleration from 0.2 g to -0.15 g, indicating an unintended movement. The crew applied wheel brakes and re-engaged the parking brake, but the aircraft had already collided with the two de-icing vehicles positioned on either side of the fuselage.
Contributing Factors
The investigation highlighted that the PIC believed the parking brake was still set when initiating the taxi maneuver. The collision occurred because the aircraft moved forward into the stationary service vehicles before the crew could fully stop it. The initial checklist error led to the decision to return to the stand, which necessitated the taxi clearance that resulted in the accident.