Summary
On 25 August 2005 at 2058 UTC, a Fokker 50, registration OO-VLQ, suffered a ground collision with the West Pier of the Domestic Passenger Terminal at Cardiff Airport, South Glamorgan. The aircraft was being taxied to Stand 3 after landing on Runway 30 and vacating at taxiway E1. The flight was a public transport passenger service with no passengers on board; the crew of three reported no injuries. The port wingtip and three feet of the leading edge were damaged.
History of the Flight
The aircraft could not be parked nose-in on a stand because the handling agent lacked a suitable tow bar for the Fokker 50, which would have allowed a normal pushback. Consequently, the marshaller was asked by the apron controller to park the aircraft through the stand with the wings over the yellow line, at 90° to the normal alignment, facing out. The marshaller stated he would normally have had another colleague to monitor the wingtip, but none were available. It was dark and the taxiway surface was wet.
As the marshaller guided the aircraft eastward toward the West Pier, he signalled a right turn to align with the stand's yellow line. The aircraft continued forward before initiating the turn, and the left wingtip struck the end of the West Pier. The aircraft dispatcher, standing at the pier, initially thought the turn would occur later, as was common practice. When the aircraft was about 10 ft away, he realised a collision was imminent, shouted "Stop," and crossed his arms. The wingtip hit the pier near him, and he was struck on the head by a small piece of plastic from the wingtip navigation light covering, but sustained no injury.
Aftermath
The commander stated he was taxiing at normal speed and believed he was parking facing out as indicated. He initiated the right turn immediately upon the marshaller's signal. He noted that spotlights atop the West Pier shone toward him, making it difficult to judge distance from the building. The dispatcher and marshaller both felt the aircraft speed may have been excessive for an empty aircraft, and they believed the pilot may have been unfamiliar with the apron layout, as the operator did not regularly use Cardiff Airport. The resulting damage comprised a broken wingtip light and a three-foot-long dent to the leading edge of the left wing. A tow bar for the aircraft was available from another handling agent at the airport, but the apron controller was unaware of this and did not inquire.