Manchester Airport acts after plane collisions
12.02.10
Air traffic controllers at Manchester Airport have changed instructions to pilots after confusion led to two taxiing planes colliding in an eighteen month period. Aircraft involved in the collisions in 2007 and 2008 were damaged, but none of the 468 passengers on the planes was 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 Air Accident Investigations Branch prompted the airport to withdraw the term. Instead, the pilot told investigators, air traffic controllers should use the phrase ‘hold position’.
The confusion between the pilot and controllers led to the right winglet of the Tenerife-bound Boeing 737 hitting the tail of a 107-passenger Lufthansa Airbus A320 that had been due to fly to Frankfurt. The Boeing, operated by Spanish airline Futura, had 180 passengers aboard during the collision on 5 August 2008. The crew 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, with 144 passengers on board, struck the rudder of a 37-passenger Q400 aircraft operated by Flybe as it passed behind it. Both aircraft were about to leave Manchester 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.
Add to: del.icio.us | Digg it | Newsvine | NowPublic | Reddit
To book manchester airport hotel or manchester airport car park at the lowest price, click on these links to two great Manchester airport car parking and Manchester airport hotel price comparison pages.
