Two passenger planes collided while taxiing at Manchester

[White Cap]

From the BBC News:-

Inquiry into airport runway crash

Passengers were taken off the planes after the incident

An investigation is under way after two passenger planes collided while taxiing at Manchester Airport.
The BMI Baby Boeing 737 travelling to Belfast International and an Excel Airways Boeing 767 travelling to Goa touched wings outside Terminal Two.

Seventy-nine passengers were on board the BMI Baby plane while 255 were on the Excel Airways plane, though no-one is thought to have been injured.

Air accident investigators were at the scene on Thursday afternoon.

'Wings clipped'

One passenger who arrived in Belfast on Thursday said: "We were on the runway preparing to take off and then the plane just went from side to side and then the other plane came up the side and stopped next to us .

"You could see a piece of the wing sitting on the runway - people were extremely scared."

A fellow passenger said: "Fire engines came rushing to the scene - we got swung a bit and the front wheel buckled and it knocked the back rudder off it and knocked part of the wing off."

The remainder of the passengers are expected to return to Belfast later on Friday.

A Greater Manchester Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We received reports that there had been a minor collision between two planes on the runway.

"We believe that the wings of the two planes may have clipped."

The passengers from the affected flights were taken back to Terminal One to await alternative flights to continue their journeys.


Other flights at the airport continued as normal.

A spokesman for BMI Baby said: "We can confirm there was an incident at Manchester Airport which involved a BMI Baby aircraft being damaged.

"We are not aware of any injuries to passengers or crew.

"The incident is currently being investigated."

From RP:-

Keine Verletzten

Zwei Flugzeuge auf Piste in Manchester kollidiert

veröffentlicht: 05.11.04 - 08:18
London (rpo). Auf der Startbahn des Internationalen Flughafens in Manchester sind zwei Passagierflugzeuge mit insgesamt 334 Passagieren an Bord kollidiert. Eine Sprecherin des Flughafens der nordenglischen Industriestadt teilte mit, dass bei dem Unfall niemand ernsthaft verletzt wurde.
Den Angaben zufolge streifte eine mit 79 Passagiere besetzte Boeing 737 mit dem Heck die Tragfläche einer Boeing 767 mit 255 Passagieren an Bord. Die Passagiere beider Flugzeuge seien in Sicherheit gebracht worden.

Cheers,
White Cap

[PMI-01]

From the Airport's website:

Latest Information On The Excel Airways/bmi Incident


Time of issue
5.30pm

Date of incident
Thursday 4th October 2004

Airlines
Excel Airways and bmibaby

Flight Numbers
Excel – XLA340 Boeing 767 from Manchester to Goa
Bmibaby - WW3007 Boeing 737 from Manchester to Belfast International

Flight Types
Scheduled (bmi) and charter (Excel Airways)

Departure/Arrival times
The scheduled time of departure for the bmi flight was 16.15.
The scheduled time of departure for the Excel Airways flight was 15.30. The Excel Airways flight arrived at Manchester from Gatwick at 14.45 with passengers who were flying from Gatwick to Goa.

Number of People on Board
On the bmibaby Boeing 737 there were 79 people on board - 74 passengers and 5 crew. The Excel Airways had 255 passengers on board.
The passengers have been taken off both aircraft.

Nature of Incident
At 16.27 the tail of the bmibaby Boeing 737 and the wing of the Excel Airways 767 came into contact while both aircraft were on the ground. Both aircraft were preparing to depart.

Latest Update
We are not aware of any casualties.
An Air Accident Investigation Branch team is at the scene.
There is no disruption to other services.

Press Enquiries:

bmi – Mike Pooley - 01332 854 687

Sue Lister, PR Consultant, Excel Airways – 01883 624015 and 07850 852357 (mobile)

Manchester Airport Press Office – 0161 489 2700, 0161 489 3446, 0161 489 2727


11/4/2004

Cheers,

[NiesiausBo]

Das erinnert mich an einen VBird-Flug MAN-NRN.
Da musste der VBA - Flieger eine Vollbremsung machen um nicht mit einem Bodenfahrzeug zu kollidieren. Die Stewardessen sind bei der Sicherheitsvorführung schön durch den Flieger "geflogen".
Denen ist aber Gott sei dank auch nichts passiert.