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| Date: | Tuesday 21 October 1997 |
| Time: | 07:45 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-436 |
| Owner/operator: | British Airways |
| Registration: | G-DOCG |
| MSN: | 25408/2183 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1991 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-3 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 112 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor, repaired |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | |
| London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft taxied to Stand B8 at the end of its flight. The dispatcher positioned the airbridge
against the aircraft with no reported difficulty before most of the passengers de-planed in the usual
way. A single passenger required a wheel-chair and therefore waited with two colleagues in the
aircraft until all other passengers had left. In the meantime the wheel-chair operator (passenger
mobility assistant) had positioned himself, with the wheel-chair, at the end of the airbridge,
adjacent to the aircraft door.
As he was preparing to board the aircraft, the airbridge suddenly began to lower and to retract,
catching its canopy on the open passenger door and creating a widening gap between the airbridge
floor and the door sill. The lowering of the aircraft end of the airbridge was sufficient to create a
slope and was clearly becoming dangerous. None of the airbridge movement warnings were heard
to sound and there is no evidence that anybody was near the airbridge controls at the time. The
passenger mobility assistant warned one of the passengers still on the airbridge to vacate it without
delay. A cabin crew member estimated that the jetty finally came to rest approximately 5 metres
away and 2 to 3 metres below its correct position against the aircraft.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f5ba40f0b6134200052b/dft_avsafety_pdf_501373.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10361965 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Apr-2025 18:10 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 12-Apr-2025 18:10 | ASN | Updated [Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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