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| Date: | Sunday 21 April 1996 |
| Time: | 17:46 |
| Type: |  Airbus A310-304 |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Nepal Airlines |
| Registration: | D-APON |
| MSN: | 472 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1988 |
| Engine model: | GE CF6-80C2A2 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 49 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, repaired |
| Location: | London-Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Frankfurt-Am Main International Airport (FRA/EDDF) |
| London-Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft, operating as RA229, left Frankfurt at 1610 hrs and landed at London Gatwick at 1741 hrs; the commander had called the handling agents at Gatwick approximately 30 minutes prior to landing advising them of his arrival time. After a normal landing on Runway 08R, the crew were cleared, via taxiways 6 and 4, to Stand 51. At the time it was daylight and the weather was good. As the commander approached Stand 51, he noticed that there was a Ground Power Unit (GPU) positioned on Stand 51L but considered that it would be clear of his aircraft. He also noted that there were no ground personnel awaiting D-APON and that the Azimuth Guidance for Nose-in Stands (AGNIS) and Parallax Aircraft ParkingAid (PAPA) lighting systems were on. The commander established the aircraft on the centre-line and taxied slowly forward to the indicated final position. With an estimated 3 feet to go, he felt an impact and stopped the aircraft immediately; there were no unusual engine indications but the commander realized that D-APON had collided with something and secured both engines. Almost immediately, he was aware of personnel converging on the aircraft and he did not therefore advise ATC of the collision. On the jetty, the aircraft dispatcher had positioned to move the jetty onto the aircraft as it arrived on stand but he noticed the GPU and considered it a potential obstruction . He left the jetty and went down onto the ramp but was unable to attract the crew’s attention before the collision. The aircraft suffered Substantial damage to the No.1 engine.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5423014ded915d1374000a9b/dft_avsafety_pdf_501328.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/5634200 (Photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 13 December 2009 | C-GTSF | Air Transat | 0 | Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, RJ (GIG) |  |
min |
| Damaged on the ground | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Mar-2025 19:40 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 23-Mar-2025 19:40 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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