Incident
On 28 September 2000 at 1748 UTC, a Boeing 757-204, registration G-BYAT, was positioned on Stand 15 at London Gatwick Airport, awaiting pushback. The aircraft had been closed up, and the steps had been withdrawn from the rear door. The towing vehicle driver intended to leave the stand and decided to pass under the aircraft tail area. However, the steps were still attached to the vehicle, and the top of the steps struck the left underside of the rear fuselage.
Aircraft and Vehicle Details
The aircraft was a Boeing 757-204, manufactured in 1994, powered by two Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 turbofan engines. The flight was a public transport operation. The number of crew and passengers on board was not known. Injuries were reported as not applicable. The nature of damage was major damage to the left underside of the rear fuselage.
Contributing Factors
Although the step hand brake had been applied, the drawbar pin had been only partially pulled up. This allowed the steps to remain attached to the towing vehicle when the driver moved it under the aircraft tail.