What happened
On 21 May 1998, at approximately 16:20 UTC, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, registration C-GCPI, was parked at Stand T8 within London Heathrow Airport. The aircraft was engaged in public transport operations with 256 passengers and 8 crew members on board. During ground handling activities, a pallet loader approached the rear cargo hold of the aircraft. During this maneuver, the loader's guide bar was positioned incorrectly, resulting in a collision with the aircraft's rear cargo door.
The investigation
Following the incident, a report was submitted by the Heathrow Police Station. The investigation focused on the movement of the ground support equipment and the positioning of the loader's guide bar. The examination established that the contact between the equipment and the aircraft was limited to the rear cargo door area.
Findings
- The collision was caused by the incorrect positioning of the pallet loader's guide bar.
- The impact resulted in minor damage to the rear cargo door of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.
- There were no injuries to the crew or passengers, and no fatalities were reported.