I guess you actually have to know something to appreciate what happened. On TV this morning, a captain tilton spoke out on the subject of : NOSEWHEEL ON THE YELLOW LINE.
IF I am on the centerline with my nosewheel, whatever happens ISN'T MY FAULT.
I chuckled. Tilton is a nice guy...flew at American I think...mad dogs...or bigger, not sure.
BUT, we learned a long time ago at my airline that one particular gate at chicago midway, if you put your nosewheel on the line, your starboard wing would hit the fence.
So much for the : Nosewheel on the centerline theory.
There are lots of things to consider in how to avoid this type of accident in the future. One poster even insisted I was out for blood...how CRAZY is that? I don't want blood. But I do know that it seems that a plane that was at a halt, was struck by a plane moving. I cannot fathom any other physical reality. IF both planes were moving...well, we would have to take a good long look. IF both planes were at a halt, there would not have been a collision. But one was moving and that plane is at fault.
The airbus 380 captain knew when he bid the aircraft that certain problems would require unique solutions. Wingspan was part of the equation.
Certainly a case can be made against certifying an airplane that is too big for existing taxiways and airports. TV cameras or other anti collision tools should have been mandated.
Does anyone remember when Boeing considered having folding wing tips ( like on aircraft carrier based planes) for its B777? This was to avoid problems caused by a long wing span.
I saw one poster mention that JFK was an international airport and that regional jets shouldn't be there. Heck, I know of international airports that have grass runways/taxiways...its just a designation for customs or immigration staffing.
Some speak of insufficent lighting on the regional jet...I could plainly see it in the video, and assuming that the camera was not infrared or such, the same lighting would have allowed another airplane's crew to see the RJ.
We all know that during taxi, we do the pre takeoff or taxi checklist. Sadly, that can be distracting. In a perfect world, we would set the parking brake and do the checks and then release the brake and go about getting into the wild blue.
Well, it could have been worse folks...there will be lots to learn, and reconsider. Maybe a very pistol should be fired whenever an A380 moves? (kidding).