14.08.10
Manchester Airport staff were forced to run for cover when an Aer Arann plane failed to stop after a parking brake malfunction and crashed into the stand. None of the ground crew or the passengers and crew were hurt, but the twin-engine ATR 72 plane suffered significant damage while the aircraft stand was also mangled.
The incident happened after a flight to Manchester from Galway landed on October 21, 2009, an AAIB report said. After a normal flight, the plane came to a halt on stand and the crew applied the parking brake. Ground crew approached the plane while anti-collision lights were flashing and attached an electrical power cable.
The report said: ‘Although their procedures required them to insert chocks (wedges under the wheels to prevent accidental movement) they did not do so The aircraft then started moving forwards, so the ground crew ran clear. The pilots attempted to stop by applying the toe brakes, without success, after which the commander exercised the parking / emergency brake lever.’
The plane rolled forward until the No 2 engine struck the stand. The pilots considered using reverse thrust, ‘however, they recognised that before reverse thrust was achieved, the propellers would produce forward thrust for a short period, which had the potential to make the situation worse.'
The investigation determined that a failure of a hydraulic fuse in the parking / emergency brake had led to a loss of the brake accumulator hydraulic pressure.
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