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| Date: | Friday 25 September 1992 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Boeing 747-441 |
| Owner/operator: | Varig |
| Registration: | PP-VPG |
| MSN: | 24956/917 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1992 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 163 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor, repaired |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Varig Boeing 747-441, PP-VPG, and a BMA DC-9-32.G-PKBE, were involved in a ground contact incident at London-Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Runway 09R at Heathrow has a take-off run available of 3,658 metres. Aircraft which do not need to use the full length to meet scheduled performance criteria (most short to medium range aircraft) are able, with ATC permission, to begin the take-off run from an intersection known as block 79 which provides a take-off run of 2,919 metres. Aircraft which depart from all terminals except terminal 4 are, with ATC clearance, able to overtake other aircraft between blocks 57(O) and 89 but thereafter the taxi- way is too narrow for overtaking. Beyond block 89 the taxiway is approximately 23 meters wide until at block 98 it expands to form a holding area which is about 108 meters wide and 210 metres long. Holding in this area allows ATC some flexibility in allocating clearance for take-off to aircraft which do not arrive at the threshold in the correct order for expeditious departure.
The DC-9 taxied from Terminal 1 in plenty of time to make its approved O9R Holding area departure time. Before reaching block 79 the crew were instructed to change to tower frequency. At this stage there were about five aircraft ahead of the DC-9 awaiting clearance to take-off. On making contact with the tower controller the DC-9 crew implied that they could accept take-off from block 79 if ATC wished. ATC instructed them to taxi for a full-length take-off. On reaching the holding area the DC-9 crew cleared the taxiway by turning right but there were two aircraft already in the hold and there was insufficient space to allow the DC-9 to turn to parallel the taxiway or face the threshold. This left the DC-9 parked behind an Airbus in a position well clear of the taxiway but with its tail closest to it on a heading of about 330°.
The 747-400 taxied from Terminal 3 after the DC-9 and at an appropriate time to make good its
approved departure time. Light rain was falling but the visibility was good in daylight. On changing
to tower frequency, the crew were instructed to taxi for a full length take-off. Before they arrived at
the holding point, the 747-400 crew were cleared to line-up; this clearance required the 747 to pass all three aircraft holding on the apron in block 98. The commander of the 747 was aware that clearance between the the DC-9's tail and the right wing tip of his 747 would be 'tight' and so he moved his aircraft slightly to the left of the taxiway centreline to increase the separation. He was assured by his co-pilot that there was sufficient clearance between the two aircraft and so he continued forwards. As the 747 passed them, the DC-9 crew felt an impact. They immediately reported to the tower controller that they had felt a slight thump as the 747 passed them. The 747's line-up clearance was cancelled and both aircraft were instructed to hold their position pending a visual inspection by one of the airport's operations staff.
The inspection was completed within 5 minutes of the collision. Damage to the DC-9's tailplane was
evident and this was attributed to contact by the 747's navigation light but there was no visible damage to the winglet. ATC informed the crews that a collision had occurred and the DC-9 crew requested clearance to taxi back to a stand for a damage inspection. When ATC asked the 747 commander to return to the Terminal he declined to do so on the grounds that he thought it impossible that his aircraft had touched the DC-9. The 747 commander persisted in asking for departure clearance and refused advice to return to the Terminal for a damage inspection on the basis that he was sure his aircraft had not hit the DC-9 and, even if the winglet was damaged, the aircraft was still safe to fly. The discussion between ATC and the 747 commander continued spasmodically over the next 10 minutes. During this time the back-log of aircraft awaiting departure increased and the orderly flow of traffic was badly disrupted although some aircraft were cleared to take-off either from block 79 or from the full length after gaining access to the runway from the southern taxiway. At 1518 hrs ATC finally allowed the aircraft to line-up and depart at the commander's discretion and it took-off at 1521 hrs for Copenhagen.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f3aded915d1371000497/McDonnell_Douglas_DC9_-_32__G-PKBE_and_Boeing_747-400__PP-VPG_02-93.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/60874 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Mar-2025 19:18 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 23-Mar-2025 19:20 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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