On 20 September 2009, at about 1630 Western Standard Time, a Boeing 737-400 (737) aircraft, had been pushed back from the domestic terminal onto the taxiway at Perth Airport, Western Australia (WA), when a technical fault was experienced. The aircraft remained in position to allow the flight crew to examine the fault. At the same time, a Boeing 717- 200 (717) aircraft, located in an adjacent bay, requested a pushback clearance from the surface movement controller (SMC). The SMC advised the 717 flight crew to contact their ground crew to discuss suitable pushback options. The 717 was pushed back with the aircraft kept as close to the terminal as possible. A clearance marshaller was located next to the left wing of the 717.
The flight crew of the 737 and the ground engineer for the 717 estimated that the wing of the 717 and the nose of the 737 were 11 m apart. However, the ground engineer for the 737 reported that the distance between the two aircraft was within 1 m and that as a result, he and another ground engineer with him may have been placed within the inlet and exhaust hazard area of the 717.
It was not possible to reconcile the differing accounts of aircraft proximity. However, the incident highlights the potential dangers associated with ground operations around jet aircraft and the need for particular care and attention when dealing with dynamic traffic situations.