A collision between a Ryanair aircraft and an airport escort vehicle may have been caused by the driver’s fatigue and inattention, an investigation has found.
The crash occurred when the Boeing 737-8AS, which had the right of way, turned towards an aircraft stand after an inbound flight at Stansted Airport in Essex on October 4.
The driver of the ground vehicle, who was en route to another stand, may have suffered from “inattentional blindness,” the failure to notice an unexpected object when visibility is clear, according to a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Both the vehicle operator and the airport authority issued safety instructions to drivers on safe driving behavior.
More than 100 passengers and six crew members were on board the Ryanair plane when the right wing collided with the roof of the SideBull Ambulift vehicle, causing visible damage to both.
An analysis of video surveillance footage from the vehicles immediately before the collision found that the driver had made “no obvious glances” at the aircraft through the left window and apparently did not notice it until about five seconds after it began to turn.
He made an emergency stop and started reversing, but was unable to avoid the accident.
Nobody was injured.
The AAIB found that the driver had been involved in a collision with another vehicle six weeks earlier.
“Clearly visible”
The report states: “The driver had relatively little experience of the airport environment and his description and history suggest that he found it challenging.”
“The driver reported that it had been a busy morning and that he was annoyed about the way the contract was awarded.
“Although the number of tasks was appropriate for the time of year and not unusually high, this individual driver may have felt fatigued by the workload that day and distracted by his emotional reaction to the last-minute task.
“These factors may have affected his performance.”
The report goes on to say: “The phenomenon of inattentional blindness may be the reason why the driver did not see the aircraft even though it was clearly visible.”
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