What happened
On 17 July 2000, during the boarding process of a Boeing 737-37Q, registration G-ODSK, an incident occurred at Birmingham Airport. While passengers were entering the aircraft, the commander experienced a physical jolt through the airframe. Following this impact, the pilot conducted an external walk-around and identified damage to the skin on the rear right side of the fuselage, located just behind the rear cargo door.
An investigation at the scene revealed that an electrical baggage truck had struck the aircraft. The driver of the vehicle admitted to the collision, explaining that they had been approaching the aircraft from the rear to park near the baggage hold. Although the driver was moving at a low speed, they reported difficulty maneuvering the vehicle and were unable to halt before making contact with the Boeing 737-37Q.
The investigation
The AAIB examined both the aircraft damage and the service vehicle involved. While the baggage truck was found to be mechanically serviceable, investigators determined that the vehicle was difficult to steer and noted that the brake pedal was positioned unusually high, which likely hindered the driver's ability to react.
Furthermore, the investigation looked into ground handling procedures and found that drivers had received very little direct instruction regarding the specific requirements for approaching aircraft safely. Following the incident, the specific electrical baggage truck involved was removed from service near aircraft operations.