THE AIR Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) is to examine the circumstances of an incident at Dublin airport at the weekend when a Spanish charter aircraft collided with a fuel tanker.
The potentially dangerous incident happened when flight IWD 3405, an Iberworld aircraft, landed shortly before 9am on Saturday. It taxied to its parking area on the ramp, under the guidance of marshals. As it began to slow, its pilot jammed on the brakes as one of the aircraft’s wings made contact with a fuel tanker. The wing scrapped along the top of the tanker’s body before becoming jammed.
Airport police and emergency crews went immediately to the scene. Passengers were told to remain in their seats and safely disembarked 30 minutes later. There were no injuries.
The 180-seater Airbus aircraft was bringing holiday makers home from Palma, Majorca.
One passenger, who was sitting directly over the wing when the accident happened, said there was a sudden jolt and passengers were thrown forward in their seats. “Panic stations set in,” he said. “We were left on the plane for 30 minutes before they would let us off. We didn’t get our luggage until an hour later.”
A spokeswoman for the Dublin Airport Authority said the incident was a minor one and no one was hurt during it. “The plane took off for the return flight at 3pm that afternoon.” She said the matter was reported to the AAIU.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Aviation Authority said because the incident occurred after the aircraft had landed and was on the ramp area, it was not under their care and was the responsibility of the airline’s handling agents at the airport.
A spokeswoman for Servisair, the handling agents for Iberworld at the airport, said the company would be making no comment on the incident.
