What happened
On 25 June 2004, at approximately 13:30 UTC, an Embraer EMB-145EP, registration G-RJXD, was parked at Edinburgh Airport preparing for a passenger flight. While the aircraft was stationary and prior to the boarding of passengers, a baggage truck struck the starboard wing. The vehicle, which was being driven away from an adjacent aircraft, collided with the right wing of the aircraft. The impact was significant enough that the wing's position allowed it to penetrate the windscreen of the vehicle, resulting in substantial damage to the aileron trailing edge.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the ground movement at the stand. The investigation established that the driver of the baggage truck was likely focused on maneuvering away from the aircraft at the neighboring stand. This concentration on avoiding the left wing of the previous aircraft, combined with the driver's visibility being obscured by bright sunshine, contributed to the failure to notice the wing of G-RJXD.
Following the incident, a joint assessment was performed by Edinburgh Airport staff and the relevant handling agent. This review focused on vehicle operations around aircraft positioned at that specific stand. The assessment concluded that no unique environmental or location-specific risks existed that made operations at this stand more dangerous than any other similar stand within the airport.