What happened
On 26 February 2003, during pre-flight preparations at London Heathrow Airport, a Boeing 747-436, registration G-BNLZ, sustained damage to its forward cargo door seal. While the flight crew were preparing for a passenger flight, a ground engineer notified them of an incident involving the aircraft's cargo door. During the closing process, the door made contact with the side hand rail of a freight elevator vehicle that had recently been utilized for loading cargo into the forward hold.
The investigation
The investigation was initiated following an Aircraft Accident Report Form submitted by the pilot. The inquiry focused on the sequence of events during the loading and closing of the aircraft's cargo compartment. It was established that the contact between the door and the vehicle's hand rail occurred as the door was being closed. The damage was specifically identified as being to the cargo door seal, which rendered the aircraft unserviceable for its scheduled operation.
Findings
- The primary cause of the damage was the impact between the forward cargo door and the hand rail of a freight elevator vehicle.
- The incident occurred while the aircraft was positioned at Stand W1.
- The damage to the seal necessitated the immediate removal of the aircraft from service.