A collision between an aircraft and aerobridge highlights the difficulties in detecting slow aircraft movement and why flight crew should remain aware of this possibility whenever the engines are running.
On 22 April 2013, the flight crew of a United Airlines Boeing 747-422, flew from Sydney, New South Wales to Melbourne, Victoria. At Melbourne, the crew taxied to gate D5 and stopped, applying the parking brake. Shortly after stopping, the aircraft started to move forward again slowly. The flight crew realised the aircraft was moving and re-applied the brakes. The aircraft’s left wing collided with the aerobridge before the movement had stopped. No one was injured during the occurrence and the aircraft sustained minor damage.
After stopping at the gate, the aircraft parking brake was likely inadvertently released before the nose wheels were chocked and the engines shut down. The flight crew’s attention was inside the cockpit, focused on shutting down the engines. As such they were not actively monitoring aircraft movement, nor was that required at this stage. In addition, the parking guidance system at the gate was set to emergency stop mode by ground personnel when the aircraft first arrived, removing the possibility of an alert for the flight crew that the aircraft had moved. The flight crew became aware of the movement when the captain detected motion through peripheral vision. The very slow acceleration, combined with a lack of visual cues available to the flight crew made it difficult for the crew to detect the movement in time to prevent the collision.
Safety message
This occurrence highlights the importance of flight crew remaining aware of the possibility of aircraft movement whenever the engines are running as aircraft movement, particularly if it is slow, is difficult to detect. Additionally, ground support crew are reminded of the need to leave the parking guidance system in normal mode, unless an emergency stop is required.
Read the report: Collision with aerobridge involving Boeing 747-422, N119UA, Melbourne Airport, Victoria, on 22 April 2013