Aircraft crashed into plane after wheel wedges removed

A Flybe aircraft crashed into another plane after its wheel wedges were mistakenly removed, a report has found.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) looked into the incident at Aberdeen International Airport in June.

It found the G-JECK plane rolled across the taxiway and struck the Loganair aircraft because the nosewheel chocks had been “inadvertently removed” and hydraulic pressure in the brakes was so depleted they did not work.

The report said: “The evidence indicates that a misunderstanding led the dispatcher to believe that clearance had been given by the commander to remove the chocks from the main wheels.

“The dispatcher was aware that the nosewheels were to remain chocked until after the engines had been started.

“However, following the representative’s offer of assistance to the dispatcher, a miscommunication appears to have led to the nosewheel chocks being inadvertently removed.

“Both pilots stated that no permission for chock removal had been given.

“The removal of the chocks went unnoticed by the pilots and the dispatcher also did not realise that the chocks had been removed from the nosewheels.”

It was also found two park brake systems were not pressurised so they were ineffective.

There were no injuries but investigators said the outcome “could have been different”.

Engineers and the dispatcher tried to stop the aircraft, while a helicopter had also taxied past shortly before, the report said.