You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Thursday 11 March 1993 |
| Time: | c. 19:23 LT |
| Type: |  Fokker F-27 Friendship 100 |
| Owner/operator: | Air UK |
| Registration: | G-BLFJ |
| MSN: | 10120 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1959 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 19 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Edinburgh-Turnhouse Airport (EDI/EGPH) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Pushback / towing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Edinburgh-Turnhouse Airport (EDI/EGPH) |
| Leeds-Bradford Airport (LBA/EGNM) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft was about to operate a scheduled passenger service to Leeds. All doors were closed, and
the first officer called for ATC start clearance at 1920 hrs (slightly ahead of normal schedule, and with no ATC slot time commitment). Both engines were started normally, and the ground crew was
signalled to remove the ground power unit (GPU). The ground crew consisted of three men; a signal
man, positioned ahead and slightly on the left side of the aircraft, in view of the commander, a tug
driver, seated in the push-back tug, and a crew man positioned close in on the right side of the aircraft.
to remove the ground power cable, and to assist with tow bar removal after push-back. At this time,
without liaison with the other ground crew members, a fourth man, the shift leader, appeared at the
stand. He mounted the tractor attached to the GPU and attempted to drive the rig away, although its
position would not have impeded the push back of the aircraft.
The other ground crew members reported that the rig moved backwards suddenly, colliding with the
aircraft tug and jack-knifing, with the tractor narrowly avoiding colliding with the fuselage. The rig
remained stationary for a short time, with the tractor engine heard to be at high RPM while the driver
was described as "head down and struggling to select a gear". With the tractor still at high RPM, the
combination then moved rapidly forward and through the right-hand propeller disc. Some
eyewitnesses reported momentary illumination of the brake lights just before the tractor was struck by the propeller. The tractor cab was cut off, and flew off to the right side of the aircraft, and the driver was struck on the head by the propeller, sustaining fatal injuries, and his body was thrown out to the right side under the wing of the aircraft.
One member of the ground crew went immediately to the telephone located at the head of the stand, in order to summon the emergency services. He found that under the stress of the situation he was
unable to immediately recall the correct emergency number (222), and found that no placard was
present to indicate the number.
It was dark at the time of the accident, but the normal apron lighting system was serviceable, and was described by the ground crew members as providing an adequate level of illumination on the stand.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422eff640f0b613460002f7/Fokker_F27_Mark_100_Friendship__G-BLFJ_01-94.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/8459455 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Jun-2025 17:54 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 25-Jun-2025 17:54 | Justanormalperson | Updated [Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation