UK investigators say a tow-tractor instructor, focused on training another driver, allowed the vehicle to push a Malta Air Boeing 737-800 into a blast fence at London Stansted during a long pushback from stand 63R to the end of a cul-de-sac before engine start.
Discovered |
Briefing
UK investigators found the tow-tractor instructor was distracted while training another driver when the vehicle pushed the Malta Air 737‑800 into Stansted’s blast fence — a clear example of how ramp operations and human factors can produce aircraft damage and near‑misses.
Ground‑handling and training lapses have driven high‑consequence incidents elsewhere, including a Hong Kong 747 freighter that skidded off the runway into the sea, an AAIA finding linking an ACT 747‑400F runway excursion to asymmetric thrust, and a recent mid‑air collision involving a pilot on a training flight.
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FlightGlobal
• David Kaminski-Morrow