Planes collide at Heathrow !!!!!!!
- From: anygeezer@xxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 09:31:54 -0700
Millions worth of damage after two planes collide at Heathrow
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Two British Airways jets collided on the tarmac at Heathrow Airport on
Friday night, after one plane reversed into the other resulting in
millions of pounds worth of damage. The airline denies the accident
happened as a result of cost cutting, according to a report in the
Daily Mail.
The incident occurred only meters from Terminal 4, as the Boeing 777
carrying 200 passengers reversed from its gate into the path of
another British Airways Airbus jet, which has just landed and was
awaiting permission to dock at its own gate.
Passengers were said to have felt the full force of the collision
after the three times heavier Boeing plane bound for Washington DC
crashed into the tail-fin of the lighter and smaller Airbus jet
arriving from Zurich, resulting in extensive and expensive damage to
both.
Fire-fighters and emergency crews were immediately called to the
scene, as the airport triggered an emergency whereby forcing other
flights to abort landings until passengers were led off both planes.
The Daily Mail reports that BA staff has since said the incident was
"an accident waiting to happen" blaming BA's cost-cutting has led to
safety breaches becoming more common. The airline denies the charge,
but it has sparked debate within the industry.
"The Airbus which had just arrived from Zurich was supposed to
straight to its parking stand. There was space. But the dispatcher who
gives permission for it to proceed wasn't there. So it had to wait on
the taxi-way tarmac," a BA insider was reported as saying in the Daily
Mail.
'The dispatcher to open the gate wasn't there on time, so the incoming
Zurich flight just had to wait. It's an accident waiting to happen.
"The weight of the impact forced the Airbus to go back about 10ft."
An aviation informant said the damage would be at least in the six
figure sum, possibly seven.
"Neither aircraft will operate until we are absolutely convinced they
are safe to do so," a spokesperson for British Airways said, as
reported in the Daily Mail.
"There were no injuries. Customers would have been seated with their
seat belts on. Furthermore both aircraft would have been moving very
slowly at the time, given the fact they were moving onto and off of
the stands.
"The passengers were disembarked from the aircraft, put up in hotels
overnight, and later rebooked onto the next available service."
The airline insisting it would never compromise safety said it will be
launching an immediate investigation into the incident.
.
- Prev by Date: Re: LOOKING FOR AN ASIAN WIFE... SERIOUSLY.
- Next by Date: Vista Thai Language
- Previous by thread: PING BRIAN
- Next by thread: Vista Thai Language
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
