British Airways Heathrow Airport Collision Investigated
Investigation into a minor collision which took place at Heathrow Airport last week continues. The incident involved two jet airliners operated by British Airways, which collided while taxiing at the UK's foremost passenger airport. These were a Boeing 777 - bound for Washington DC -and a smaller Airbus A-321 - inbound from Zurich.
The larger Boeing essentially reversed into the Airbus as it was travelling to the terminal area. No consequent injuries among the passengers on either airliner were recorded, however the impact to both the aircraft was significant, and is expected to take up to one million pounds to rectify. It is believed that the collision occurred when the -777's wing impacted with the Airbus' tail fin. As a result, the A-321 is understood to have shifted around 10 feet along the taxiway. Both airliners were moving well within the lower end of their speed ranges, and, significantly, both sets of passengers would have been strapped in.
Within certain strands of the media, a link was established between the incident and cost cutting at Heathrow. In particular, a certain newspaper quoted a British Airways worker who said a safety compromise issue was connection to the collision, and that the Airbus was late in reaching its parking area. Furthermore, it was reported, an online pilot-aimed chatroom had focused on the event, with one individual commenting: "So the inability of BA to have stand guidance available on time has finally cost them a shed load of money?"
A statement was today issued by British Airways, in which it said, in relation to last Friday's collision: "We are aware that two British Airways aircraft clipped one another as one pulled on to its stand on arrival at Heathrow and the other left its stand."
It added: "We are launching an immediate investigation into what happened. As such we will not pre-empt this investigation with speculation and will await the findings. The aircraft will be thoroughly examined before either are permitted to operate again. Safety and security is paramount to British Airways and we would never compromise that."
Source - Airport International Newsdesk
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Further Resources:
Heathrow Terminal 5 Construction Photos
