You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Monday 18 July 1994 |
| Time: | c. 15:15 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-436 |
| Owner/operator: | British Airways |
| Registration: | G-GBTA |
| MSN: | 25859/2532 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-3 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ/EGPD) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Aberdeen International Airport (ABZ/EGPD) |
| London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The catering vehicle was manned by two persons: a driver and a guide-man. On approaching the
aircraft, its forward service door was closed and so the guideman left the vehicle on foot, entered the
aircraft and made his way to the forward service door to open it. Meanwhile the driver positioned the
vehicle. He was unable to drive it squarely onto the fuselage because a set of steps and a baggage
vehicle servicing the forward hold were obstructing his desired path. Without waiting for the
guideman to return, he approached the aircraft at an angle slightly less than 30° and stopped clear of it with the front left corner of the loading platform closest to the fuselage. He later stated that he had left ‘a small gap' between the rubber buffer of the platform and the sill of the aircraft. The vehicle body and the loading platform were then raised without incident and then the flip-over bridge was extended. The driver and the guide-man then catered the aircraft without difficulty.
After the aircraft had been catered, the flip-over bridge was withdrawn and secured in position. The
driver then returned to the vehicle cab whilst the guide-man remained by the open forward service door to obtain a signature from the cabin crew. The guide-man stated that as the driver lowered the vehicle body and loading platform, he heard a bang. He signaled to the driver that something was wrong and then left the aircraft to see what had happened. On the ground he saw a tear in the fuselage skin just aft of the service door and slightly below the sill height. The aircraft crew and the catering contractor's management staff were then informed of the accident. Photographs of the damage and the catering vehicle were taken by the airport duty manager and the local police interviewed the vehicle crew.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422fe4640f0b61346000a19/Boeing_737-400__G-GBTA_10-94.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6189308 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Jun-2025 13:07 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 28-Jun-2025 13:07 | 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