What happened
On 25 August 2005, a Fokker 50, registration OO-VLQ, was taxiing at Cardiff Airport following a landing on Runway 30. Due to airport congestion and the lack of an available tow bar for this aircraft type, the aircraft could not be parked in its usual nose-in position. Instead, the apron controller directed the marshaller to park the aircraft on Stand 3 in a facing-out orientation, with its wings positioned over the yellow line.
As the aircraft moved toward the West Pier under the guidance of a single marshaller, the pilot initiated a right turn following the marshaller's signals. During this maneuver, the left wingtip of the aircraft struck the end of the West Pier. The impact caused a broken wingtip light and a dent extending three feet along the leading edge of the left wing. The crew, consisting of three members, sustained no injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the taxiing maneuver and the visibility conditions at the time of the accident. The investigation established that the taxiway surface was wet and it was dark. The pilot reported that bright spotlights positioned on top of the West Pier made it difficult to accurately judge the distance between the aircraft and the building.
Furthermore, the investigation looked into the staffing levels during the maneuver. The marshaller noted that he would typically have a second colleague to assist in monitoring the aircraft's wingtip clearance, but no other staff were available at that time. The aircraft dispatcher and the marshaller both expressed concerns that the taxi speed may have been too high for an empty aircraft and suggested the pilot might have been unfamiliar with the specific apron layout, as the operator was not a regular user of the airport.