What happened
On August 20, 2021, at approximately 16:10 UTC, an Air Europa Boeing 737-800, registration EC-MUZ, was taxiing on taxiway M27 at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport following its arrival from Palma de Mallorca. During the taxi sequence, the flight crew observed an unattended Renault Kangoo van encroaching on the taxiway from the right.
The pilot attempted an evasive maneuver by turning the aircraft to the left, but the collision could not be avoided. The van struck the lower right side of the number 2 engine nacelle at approximately 14 km/h. Following the impact, the aircraft continued its taxi to the designated parking stand without further incident. There were no injuries among the 187 passengers or 6 crew members on board.
The investigation
The investigation established that a maintenance worker for Thyssenkrupp Airport Systems had parked the van near stand 578 to perform work on a passenger boarding bridge. The driver exited the vehicle at 16:06 UTC but failed to engage the parking brake. The vehicle remained stationary for several minutes until a wind gust, with gusts reaching 19 knots, likely initiated its movement.
The van traveled approximately 370 meters, crossing two taxiways and several parking stands before striking the aircraft. The driver noticed the movement only after the vehicle had already crossed the first taxiway and chose to notify the Airport Management Center via telephone rather than pursuing the vehicle.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the driver's failure to adhere to ramp safety regulations by not engaging the parking brake before leaving the vehicle.
- The vehicle was not equipped with a reminder sticker to prompt the use of the parking brake, a measure that was not yet mandatory under local regulations.
- Local terrain gradients in the parking area reached up to 5%, exceeding the 1% maximum recommended for aircraft stands, though this area was not classified as a movement area.
- The driver's error was determined to be a lapse in attention rather than a result of excessive workload or lack of training.