What happened
On 27 July 2002, a Boeing 737-330, registration D-ABEN, was completing a passenger flight from Frankfurt to Manchester International Airport. During the taxiing phase, Air Traffic Control instructed the crew to park at Stand 28 instead of their originally assigned location. As the aircraft turned onto the new stand, the left wing struck the upper structure of a highloader vehicle that had been left parked in the area.
Following the impact, ground personnel notified the flight crew of the collision. The aircraft sustained a puncture in the number 1 leading edge slat and significant scratching to the underside of the left wing. There were no injuries to the 116 passengers or 6 crew members on board.
The investigation
The investigation established that the highloader had been parked near Stand 28 because the driver believed the stand was vacant and was waiting for an arriving Airbus A330 to arrive at the adjacent stand. Although the driver attempted to warn the flight crew using hand signals, the crew likely did not see these signals due to the darkness and their concentration on the AGNIS and Mirror guidance systems required to align the aircraft.
It was noted that while the vehicle's side light was functional, its nearside headlamp was not working, which failed to meet required airside vehicle standards. Furthermore, the investigation found that the lack of designated parking for ground equipment near stands had led to a common practice of using vacant stand space for equipment storage, a practice the airport authority did not officially sanction.
Findings
- The primary cause of the collision was the presence of an unattended highloader vehicle within the aircraft's path on the newly allocated stand.
- The flight crew was focused on utilizing the AGNIS and Mirror guidance systems to position the aircraft, which diverted attention from the side of the aircraft.
- The driver of the highloader attempted to signal the aircraft, but these signals were not observed in the dark.
- The highloader's nearside headlamp was inoperative, contrary to airside safety regulations.
- There was a lack of designated ground equipment parking near the stands, leading to the unauthorized use of stand space for equipment storage.
Safety action
Following the incident, the airport authority committed to issuing a Safety Instruction prohibiting the parking of unattended equipment on aircraft stands. Additionally, all ramp personnel are to be reminded that aircraft may enter unoccupied stands at any time. The airport is also reviewing its policy regarding the remote activation of the Stand Entry Guidance system.