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| Date: | Wednesday 7 December 1994 |
| Time: | 07:00 |
| Type: |  Boeing 747-444 |
| Owner/operator: | South African Airways - SAA |
| Registration: | ZS-SAV |
| MSN: | 24976/827 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1991 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 361 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB/FAOR) |
| London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft landed at Heathrow at 0633 hrs after a direct flight from Johannesburg. It was allocated Stand B25 which is located in a cul-de-sac to the north east of Terminal 1. Stand B25 is a dual purpose stand which can accommodate either one 747 size aircraft or two 737 size aircraft. On the morning of the accident, B25 Left was occupied by a 737 which developed a technical problem which prevented it leaving the stand on time. The 747 was therefore held outside the cul-de-sac waiting for the 737 to clear the stand. At 0655 hrs the 737, which was now serviceable, was given permission to push back and instructed to hold at the blind end of the cul-de-sac to allow the 747 to enter the stand.
One Passenger Loading Bridge serves both B25 Left and B25 and it is standard practice to reposition it in the parking box for B25 after the departure of aircraft from B25 Left. The dispatcher responsible for the 737 was in the process of repositioning the bridge when she noticed that an illegally parked vehicle was in the way. She assessed that by raising the bridge to clear the vehicle, she would be able to park it in its correct position. Meanwhile, the dispatcher responsible for the 747 had switched on the Stand Guidance System (SGS) which indicated to the commander of the 747 that the stand was clear and that he was cleared to self-park. The switches for the SGS for B25 are located in the Terminal building at the head of the Passenger Loading Bridge from where it is not possible to see the parking area. The 747 dispatcher then proceeded to the head of the Bridge where he joined the 737
dispatcher.
When the 747 dispatcher arrived at the head of the Bridge, the Bridge was still in an intermediate position between its two approved parking areas and the 747 was entering the Stand. At this point, the 737 dispatcher considered that the inboard engine of the 747 would make contact with the Bridge and she ran to the Terminal with the intention of switching on the Stop Short sign or attempting to warn the 747 Commander by some other means. In the event, she did neither. When the 747 dispatcher realized that there was a possibility of a collision, he attracted the attention of the Ground Engineer and made the crossed arms signal indicating that the 747 should stop. The Ground Engineer repeated the signal to the flight deck crew, but by this time the aircraft was too close for the signal to be seen by either pilot.
The aircraft stopped eight inches short of the stop line and it was thought initially that there had been no contact between the aircraft and the bridge. Consequently, the 747 dispatcher proceeded to reposition the bridge onto the aircraft. It was subsequently discovered that there had been contact between the aircraft and the bridge resulting in a four inch gash in the number two engine pylon. By this time, the illegally parked vehicle had been moved and could not be traced.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f96840f0b613460007b7/Boeing_747-400__ZS-SAV_03-95.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/60872 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Mar-2025 08:24 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 28-Mar-2025 08:24 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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