What happened
On 19 July 2004, at approximately 0840 UTC, a Boeing 737-73V, registration G-EZJU, was positioned at Stand 13 of Belfast International Airport. The aircraft was engaged in a public transport operation with 137 passengers and 5 crew members on board. After all passengers had boarded and the crew had received clearance for push-back and engine start, they were performing their 'cleert for start' checklist when an impact was felt and heard.
The commander halted the checklist to communicate with ground personnel through the flight-deck window and discovered that a collision had occurred. The push-back procedure was immediately cancelled, and the engines were shut down. Following the incident, the cabin crew disarmed the doors and deployed the airstairs to allow for an investigation and disembarkation. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew.
The investigation
The investigation, based on reports from the pilot and the tug operator, determined that a tug used for moving ground equipment had struck the left side of the aircraft. The impact occurred between the total air temperature (TAT) probe and the forward jacking point, specifically below the flight-deck windows. This collision caused two distinct gashes in the outer skin of the fuselage, measuring approximately 20 cm and 30 cm in length.
Findings
It was established that the driver of the tug intended to apply the foot brake but instead accidentally pressed the accelerator. This error caused the vehicle to accelerate rapidly toward the aircraft. Although the vehicle was operating outside the two-metre area-control zone, the driver could not stop the tug before the nearside corner of the tug's roof struck the fuselage.
In a secondary impact, the driver attempted to steer the vehicle hard to the left to avoid the aircraft. This maneuver caused a lamp-cluster mounted on the rear corner of the tug's roof to strike the fuselage skin, creating the second penetration.