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| Date: | Sunday 4 March 2007 |
| Time: | 09:00 UTC |
| Type: |  Airbus A319-111 |
| Owner/operator: | TAP Air Portugal |
| Registration: | CS-TTO |
| MSN: | 1127 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1999 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-5B5/P |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 89 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lisboa-Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS/LPPT) -
 Portugal
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Paris-Orly Airport (ORY/LFPO) |
| Lisboa-Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS/LPPT) | |
| Investigating agency: | GPIAA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
TAP flight TP-431B, an Airbus A319, taxied and parked at position A26 (without a jet bridge), shut down the engines, and after the signal was given, passenger disembarkation began.
As the first passengers were descending the stairs placed at the front left door, the stairs shifted, creating a gap between the upper platform and the aircraft door of about 1 meter horizontally and 0.5 meters vertically. One of the passengers was unable to place his foot properly on the platform, lost balance, and fell onto the apron between the aircraft and the stairs from a height of about 3 meters, suffering serious injuries that required evacuation by ambulance and hospitalization.
Disembarkation through the front door was suspended, and the remaining passengers exited through the rear door.
The stairs were removed and placed in the company's facilities for inspection by the Investigation Commission.
The aircraft did not suffer any damage, and no damage to third parties was recorded.
Primary Cause
The primary cause of this accident was the fracture of the lower rear supports of the lower (fixed) section of the (dis)embarkation staircase steps. This caused the upper platform to slide backward and downward, creating a gap between the staircase and the aircraft fuselage, removing the foot support point, and causing the passenger, while disembarking the aircraft, to fall through the gap onto the parking apron.
Contributing Factors
The following factors contributed to the fracture of the lower rear supports of the lower section of the disembarkation staircase:
1. The lack of regular and careful inspection of the overall structural condition of the staircase;
2. The lack of maintenance actions on the structural parts of the staircase, namely the lack of proper lubrication of all joints and hinges subject to rotational and/or sliding movement;
3. The vague manner in which the maintenance program, presented by the manufacturer, addressed the necessary lubrication and regular inspection actions, failing to ensure efficient maintenance and safe operation of the equipment;
4. The absence of designated application points for the recommended products for lubricating joints and moving parts of the equipment.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
GPIAAF
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Apr-2025 07:19 | ASN | Added |
| 12-Apr-2025 09:04 | ASN | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
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