Incident Overview
On 24 February 2023, a Boeing 787-9 passenger aircraft operated by Korean Air, registration HL-7209, was involved in a taxi incident at Singapore Changi Airport. The aircraft was preparing for a scheduled departure from Runway 02R. While taxiing, it entered a closed section of a taxiway, resulting in damage to a marker board demarcating the closure.
Sequence of Events
The flight crew, consisting of a Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and a First Officer (FO), reviewed Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) before departure and found none applicable to their planned taxi route. After pushback from Bay G18 at Terminal 4, the aircraft received taxi instructions from the Ground Movement Controller (GMC). Initially cleared via Taxiways U1, U3, and S to hold short of Taxiway T, the crew later received clearance to proceed via Taxiways S and T to hold short of Taxiway P5. Subsequently, the controller instructed the crew to taxi via Taxiways P3, P1, and K, and hold short of Taxiway K1. The First Officer read back the instruction correctly.
As the aircraft approached the junction of Taxiways T and P5, the crew briefly looked left at a towed aircraft on Taxiway P5. The PIC, who was the Pilot Flying, continued taxiing on Taxiway T without turning onto P3. The crew observed what they described as faint red and white markings on the taxiway but did not recognize them as a marker board. The aircraft continued past Taxiways P4, P3, and P2. When the aircraft was beyond Taxiway P2, the First Officer saw a marker board beneath the aircraft and instructed the PIC to stop. Simultaneously, the controller also issued a stop instruction. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 160 meters beyond the junction of Taxiways T and P2, about 100 meters past the marker board.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The aircraft was a Boeing 787-9 with two GENX-1B74/75/P2 engines, having accumulated 2,257 flight cycles since new. The 49-year-old PIC held an Airline Transport Pilot Licence issued by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority. The First Officer served as the Pilot Monitoring. There were 273 persons on board: 261 passengers, 2 pilots, and 10 cabin crew members.
Damage
The aircraft sustained scuff marks and red paint transfer on its nose landing gear tyres from the impact with the marker board. The marker board, approximately 3 meters in length, was broken. No other damage occurred, and there were no injuries.
Investigation Findings
The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) classified the occurrence as an incident. The investigation found that the flight crew misinterpreted the ATC taxi instruction and failed to identify the marker board that indicated the closed section of Taxiway T. The crew's familiarity with the taxiway layout contributed to their expectation that Taxiway P1 would be located after P2, leading to the misinterpretation.