Airport acts after plane collisions
08.02.10
Air traffic controllers at Manchester Airport have changed instructions to pilots after confusion saw two taxiing planes collide in an 18 month period. Four aircraft involved in the collisions in 2007 and 2008 were damaged, but none of the 468 passengers onboard were hurt.
The pilot of the Boeing 737, which struck the tail of a passing plane, said the words ‘give way’ confused him. A report by the UK Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) prompted the airport to withdraw the term. Instead air traffic controllers use the phrase ‘hold position’.
The confusion between pilots and controllers led to the right winglet of the Tenerife-bound Futura Boeing 737 hitting the tail of a Lufthansa Airbus A320 that had been due to fly to Frankfurt on 5 August 2008. The crew of the Futura plane believed there were no obstacles in the way and they had room to get past the A320, the report said.
In the other incident in 2007, the wing tip of a Pakistan International Airways Boeing 777 struck the rudder of a Q400 aircraft operated by Flybe as it passed behind it. Both aircraft were about to leave Manchester Airport at midday on 15 February 2007. The AAIB said the crew of the PIA aircraft had been ‘cautioned about the presence’ of the Flybe aircraft. The pilot told the watchdog he thought there was enough room to proceed, and he expected a further warning if there was a problem.
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