What happened
On August 28, 2003, at Catania Airport, a ground collision occurred between two commercial aircraft. An Airbus A330, registration D-AERF, was taxiing toward stand A1 following a landing and a back-track procedure. While following a "follow me" vehicle, the A330 struck the tail fin of a parked McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration I-DATI, which was stationary at stand A5.
At the time of the incident, the MD-82 was carrying 159 people, and the A330 was carrying 142 people. The collision resulted in damage to the vertical stabilizer of the MD-82, but there were no injuries to any persons on board either aircraft.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation examined the taxiway layout and the airport's operational designation. Both aircraft were found to be positioned correctly according to ground markings: the MD-82 was properly parked at its assigned stand, and the A330 was following the prescribed taxiway centerline.
Measurements revealed that the distance between stand A5 and the taxiway was approximately 80 meters. Given the length of the MD-82 (45 meters) and the wingspan of the A300 (60.30 meters), the physical space was insufficient to maintain safe separation. The investigation noted that Catania Airport was operating under a 4E airport reference code, which requires a minimum separation of 7.5 meters between aircraft. However, the dimensions of the A330 were incompatible with the existing infrastructure and separation distances provided by the 4E designation at this specific location.
Findings
- The primary cause of the collision was the incorrect assignment of the 4E airport reference code, which allowed aircraft with dimensions that were incompatible with the airport's taxiway and apron configurations to operate.
- A contributing factor was the crew of the A330 failing to optimally assess the separation between the moving aircraft and ground obstacles.