What happened
On 14 January 2010, at approximately 10:09 UTC, two Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Ryanair were involved in a ground collision at Girona Airport, Spain. The first aircraft, EI-EBL, was positioned at stand 3A and was preparing for a flight to Turin, Italy. The second aircraft, EI-DWT, was positioned at stand 4A and was bound for Las Palmas, Spain.
Both aircraft commenced engine start-up and taxiing toward runway 20. While EI-EHD was taxiing behind EI-EBL, air traffic control informed the crew of EI-DWT that they were first for takeoff, effectively authorizing them to overtake the stationary aircraft. As the crew of EI-DWT attempted to pass EI-EBL on the right side, the left winglet of EI-DWT struck the trailing edge of the horizontal stabilizer on EI-EBL. Following the impact, both aircraft were cleared to return to their respective parking stands via the runway. The collision resulted in significant damage to the horizontal stabilizer of EI-EBL and minor damage to the winglet of EI-DWT. No injuries were reported among the 148 passengers or the four crew members involved.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined flight data recorder parameters, including longitudinal and lateral accelerations, to reconstruct the aircraft trajectories. The investigation established that EI-EBL had come to a complete stop at the leftmost position of the runway 20 stop bar. The investigation also focused on the airport infrastructure, specifically the recent relocation of the runway 20 stop bar.
Investigators found that while the airport had moved the stop bar in October 2009 to accommodate new ILS capabilities, this change had not been updated in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) at the time of the accident. Furthermore, the investigation analyzed the clearance available during the overtaking maneuver, noting that the new position of the stop bar significantly reduced the margin for error when passing on the right.
Findings
- The crew of EI-DWT misjudged the distance between their left wingtip and the stationary aircraft.
- The recent relocation of the runway 20 stop bar reduced the available clearance for overtaking maneuvers.
- The new position of the stop bar had not been officially published in the AIP, meaning crews were operating with outdated information regarding the threshold location.
- The collision occurred because the overtaking aircraft attempted to pass on the right side of EI-EBL while it was positioned at the left edge of the stop bar, which provided much less separation than a left-side pass would have.