Aircraft 'sinks into tarmac at Derry'

[nomorethanbablue]

An aeroplane has sunk into the tarmac at City of Derry airport after landing from Spain.

A spokeswoman for the airport said the plane was able to power itself out of the ground on a remote runway during a busy period on Wednesday afternoon.
The flight was diverted to the remote taxi-way to facilitate two other aircraft that previously landed. Passengers on an outbound flight to Salou were delayed for a short period as a result.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6937840.stm

That's all there is on the story - and frankly - it seems somewhat confused. Does anyone have anything more concrete, informed and technical as to what happened?

Regards

BABlue

[PaperTiger]

Taxiways and aprons are weight-rated.
Sounds like someone put a "heavy" where it shouldn't have gone. Unless it was very warm there today.

[Palyvestre]

Same story with Aegean Airlines B737 on a Nantes Airport taxiway. Sorry, it's french..

http://www.crash-aerien.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4502

[discountinvestigator]

I am glad to see that the aircraft operator has carried out a full audit of the airport in accordance with JAR 1.220 and warned its crews that PCN values of 20 do not support fully loaded A320s.

Nice to see that the airport procedures and the ATC procedures are also in-line with keeping big aircraft on Taxiway Alpha only.

This is not rocket science! :ugh:

[TanyaGirl]

Papertiger your wrong on both counts! First a 320 is not a heavy and 17C does not constitute a hot or warm day. No melting in this scenario but a case of no concrete and a total collapse of the area in question. An old war airport with very poor drainage problems. The taxi was Golf Taxi and it use to be an old runway in a previous life.

[discountinvestigator]

It gets better, as Taxiway Golf is does not even have a published PCN value. No PCN, no taxiway!

Somebody should tell the airport not to name all of its holding positions the same as the taxiway. Nice to see that we have learnt the lessons from Lexington then!

[P.Pilcher]

A number of years ago, block paviors were the architectural craze. Laid on levelled sand, they got used for pavements and driveways of course, then some enthusiastic local authority officials in my neck of the woods decided to use them for a town centre roadway, with special bricks coloured black and white to make a zebra crossing!
You've guessed it - some numpty decided to use them for the tunaround, run-up ends when extending the local airfield runway. Usual messing around with runway closures e.t.c, but eventually it was done. First jet taxies out to the end and turns around to commence it's run. Naturally a bit of wellie is needed on the engines to effect the turn and as the back of the a/c turns around a shower of bricks is cast over the grass with even more being deposited there during the run-up for takeoff!!
Runway closed again, red faces noted, remaining paviours removed, tarmac laid.....
All O.K. now.

P.P.

[clifftop]

Ahhh, Crazy Paviors...

God bless the 70's eh?:}

[OverRun]

A320. Empty weight 42t, 150 pax + bags 15t, remaining fuel 4t = 61 tonnes. That is ACN 35 on the C subgrade of the Derry cross-runway. Its PCN is rated as 20. That is an overload of 35/20 = 75%.

Yep, that should just about bend the pavement in one pass. The PCN system works as advertised.

[Solar]

The local Derry paper "Derry Journal" has a nice objective headline.
Women faints on sinking plane.

[GRANTS]

Derry is a funny little place...
At least there is one proper aircraft in the photo :cool:

[dont overfil]

Paving blocks on the apron at oban also, but it should be ok for C172s

[DX Wombat]

At least there is one proper aircraft in the photo :confused::confused::confused: Where? I can't see a nice little C152 anywhere in that photo. :\