Incident Overview
On 5 April 2001 at 1100 UTC, a Boeing 737-3Q8, registration G-OBMP, was parked on Stand D58R at London Heathrow following a flight from Brussels. Before the cabin doors had been opened, the aircraft was felt to shake slightly.
Discovery of Damage
The commander disembarked suspecting something had impacted the aircraft. Upon walking around the right-hand wing, he found that a ground services van had reversed into the trailing edge. The wing tip was damaged.
Circumstances
Persons on site commented that the van driver had reversed without guidance. The aircraft was engaged in a public transport flight with 4 crew and 60 passengers on board. No injuries to crew or passengers were reported.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The aircraft, manufactured in 1992, was powered by two CFM56-3C1 turbofan engines. The commander, aged 43, held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 10,000 flying hours, of which 4,500 were on type. His recent flying experience included 60 hours in the last 90 days and 20 hours in the last 28 days.