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A plane carrying about 190 people crashed into a fence while a tug driving instructor was concentrating on mentoring a trainee, an investigation has found.
Ryanair The plane crashed with 181 passengers and six crew on board Stansted Airport On 21 August 2024.
According to the recently released Air Accidents Investigation Branch report, it caused “substantial damage”.
The Boeing 737 jet was being towed by a ground tug to Essex Airport’s apron – the area where aircraft wait for runway departure slots.
The report said a trainee initially steered the tug, took the first turn and then made “several corrective turns” before stopping.
An instructor sitting next to him took control and “continued to reassure and advise the trainee while performing pushback, looking at him while doing so,” the report said.
The nosewheel of the aircraft went beyond the tug release point (TRP) ground marking, where it was supposed to stop.
This resulted in the aircraft hitting a blast barrier, which protects areas from jet exhaust air.
The tail section of the aircraft was damaged in the accident but there were no injuries.
The airport fire service remained present at the scene.
After the accident, the instructor was given a drug and alcohol test, which he passed.
The man said he was “concentrating on talking to the trainee” when he walked past the TRP, the report said.
He said the marks were “not very prominent” and were “indistinct” on the bottom of the aircraft.
The trainee said she didn’t say anything when her instructor failed to stop because she assumed he knew what he was doing, the report said.
The maneuver was carried out by workers from Blue Handling, the ground handling team of facility management provider ABM, which serves Ryanair at Stansted.
ABM has been contacted for comment.
Since the accident, the airport has doubled the length of the TRPs from 50 cm to one metre, and painted them on both sides of the center lines rather than just on one side.
In October 2023, a Ryanair plane collided with a passenger assistance vehicle on a road in Stansted.
The right wing of the jet struck the roof of the vehicle, causing apparent damage to both.
A report by AAIB The aircraft was found to have the right of way, and the driver of the vehicle may have been tired and distracted.