Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CREW DONE IT
Ground staff blamed for Ryanair plane ramming into airport fence
THIS is the shocking moment a Ryanair jet rammed into an airport fence after a ground crew blunder.
The incident at Stansted occurred as the Irish-registered aircraft was getting ready to take off.
The British Air Accident Investigation Bureau determined ground crew in London failed to stop the aircraft.
The plane’s tail hit a blast fence that stops the engine exhaust hitting structures and other aircraft behind it.
An official said: “The commander asked the ground crew if everything was all right and the ground crew responded they had pushed the aircraft too close to the blast fence.
“The senior cabin crew member called the flight deck and informed them she felt the tail had struck something.”
The pilot asked the ground crew if the aircraft came into contact with the fence and they denied it had. He contacted an engineer who found a small wing structure on the tail had collided with the barrier during the incident on April 30 last year.
The report found: “The Fire Service determined there was no immediate danger to the aircraft or passengers.
“The aircraft was towed to Stand 50L and the passengers disembarked using the air stairs. CCTV showed the aircraft was pushed back but moved slightly from side to side as the tug driver attempted to follow the taxi line. When the tail of the aircraft contacted the blast fence, the tug stopped and then reversed a short distance before becoming stationary.”
The report found the tug driver “had highlighted the difficulty of identifying the taxiway line marking due to surface water that led to his loss of bearings.”
It added: “He also stated he did not feel the impact of the collision.”