Plane damaged after colliding into lamppost at airport

Investigation finds the accident happened because the crew and the marshaller did not see warnings.

Bombardier Challenger 350 Plane damaged after colliding with lamppost at Dundee Airport — Crash: Three crew members were onboard the Bombardier Challenger 350. Air Accidents Investigations Branch

Craig Meighan

15th Dec 2023

Posted in

Dundee City

A plane was left damaged after colliding with a lamppost at Dundee Airport.

The accident happened on May 30 when the Bombardier Challenger 350 was being marshalled on the ramp.

Three crew were on board the jet at the time but none were reported injured. There were no passengers.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found the incident happened because the crew and the marshaller did not see warnings from wing spotters.

“The marshaller started marshalling the aircraft as it approached the apron and the flight
crew followed the instructions,” the AAIB report said.

“As the aircraft approached the edge of the apron, both wing spotters could see that a collision was imminent and attempted to signal to the marshaller and the flight crew to stop the aircraft.

“However, the marshaller was looking at the aircraft and the flight crew were looking at the marshaller so neither saw the signals from the wing spotters.

“The winglet on the left wingtip collided with a lamppost on the edge of the apron and the aircraft came to an abrupt halt.”

The AAIB said the airport would conduct a review of its marshalling procedures, which could include a headset for communication between marshallers and wing spotters.

A spokesperson for Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, which owns Dundee Airport, said: “Following an internal investigation into this incident, we have updated and enhanced our procedure and guidance for ground crew.”