What happened
On 10 August 2000, a Boeing 747-236B, registration G-BDXK, was prepared for a scheduled public transport flight from London Heathrow to Newark. During the pre-departure phase, the airport jetty at BT5 was being retracted to allow for the aircraft's pushback.
As the dispatcher attempted to reverse the jetty away from the aircraft, the equipment failed to move more than approximately one foot. The jetty shifted toward the left side of the aircraft door but remained stuck. In an attempt to correct the movement, the dispatcher tried to adjust the direction of the jetty's wheels. During this maneuver, the jetty began moving toward the aircraft. Despite the dispatcher releasing the control stick and activating the emergency stop button, the equipment continued its trajectory and struck the inboard left wing root, resulting in a hole in the upper surface of the wing.
There were no injuries to the 17 crew members or 337 passengers on board, and the aircraft sustained no further damage beyond the wing impact.
The investigation
Investigators from both the aircraft operator and the airport authority examined the incident to determine why the jetty failed to respond to the dispatcher's commands. The investigation focused on the mechanical and electrical functionality of the jetty's control systems during the movement attempt.