Canada scraps a Polaris after collision on the ground with an A400
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Canada scraps a Polaris after collision on the ground with an A400
Apparently rolled backwards into the A400 causing damage to both earlier this year.
pictures in the link.
https://nationalpost.com/news/rcaf-p...-guam-scrapped
pictures in the link.
Royal Canadian Air Force transport plane 15003 — a CC-150 Polaris — was involved in a ground collision with a French Air Force plane on July 22 at Anderson Air Force Base in Guam while participating in a multinational exercise organized by the United States Air Force.With the fate of the aircraft left in doubt since the summer, the Royal Canadian Air Force confirmed to the National Post on Thursday the plane will be written off and scrapped on site.
“The Polaris CC-150 aircraft in question sustained severe damage that renders repair economically unfeasible,” said Department of National Defence Spokesperson Maj. Soomin Kim.
“Repair costs were estimated to range between $7.9 and $28.5 million, with a six to eight-month turnaround period.”
According to an official air force occurrence summary, 15003 was taking part in Exercise MOBILITY GUARDIAN, a large-scale logistics training exercise facilitated by the USAF Air Mobility Command.
An RCAF crew assigned to fly the plane back to CFB Trenton arrived at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii on July 21, the report read, with plans to depart Guam the next day for Canada.
“The aircraft was loaded with equipment and baggage in preparation for departure the following day,” the report read.
Noting the plane was left “partially secured” without wheel chocks, the report said 15003 rolled backwards on its own at 10:30 a.m. the next morning, colliding with a French Air Force Airbus A400M parked nearby.
The French aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer tore through 15003’s rudder, nearly shearing off the plane’s tail.
Both planes sustained major damage in the collision, the report noted, but nobody was injured.
“The investigation did not reveal any evidence of technical issues with the aircraft and is now focusing on procedures, communications, and human factors,” the report stated.
The decision to scrap 15003 came just one day before the plane was scheduled to be decommissioned, Kim said, now that the first of four new Airbus-built CC-330 Husky Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) planes entered service earlier this month.
The CC-330s are based on Airbus’s venerable A330-200 airliners.
Those four planes are part of a $3.6-billion deal to modernize Canada’s transport, VIP and air-to-air refuelling capabilities.
Canada’s first CC-330 arrived in Canada in October and took its first official flight earlier this month, transporting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the APEC summit in San Francisco.
“The Polaris CC-150 aircraft in question sustained severe damage that renders repair economically unfeasible,” said Department of National Defence Spokesperson Maj. Soomin Kim.
“Repair costs were estimated to range between $7.9 and $28.5 million, with a six to eight-month turnaround period.”
According to an official air force occurrence summary, 15003 was taking part in Exercise MOBILITY GUARDIAN, a large-scale logistics training exercise facilitated by the USAF Air Mobility Command.
An RCAF crew assigned to fly the plane back to CFB Trenton arrived at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii on July 21, the report read, with plans to depart Guam the next day for Canada.
“The aircraft was loaded with equipment and baggage in preparation for departure the following day,” the report read.
Noting the plane was left “partially secured” without wheel chocks, the report said 15003 rolled backwards on its own at 10:30 a.m. the next morning, colliding with a French Air Force Airbus A400M parked nearby.
The French aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer tore through 15003’s rudder, nearly shearing off the plane’s tail.
Both planes sustained major damage in the collision, the report noted, but nobody was injured.
“The investigation did not reveal any evidence of technical issues with the aircraft and is now focusing on procedures, communications, and human factors,” the report stated.
The decision to scrap 15003 came just one day before the plane was scheduled to be decommissioned, Kim said, now that the first of four new Airbus-built CC-330 Husky Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) planes entered service earlier this month.
The CC-330s are based on Airbus’s venerable A330-200 airliners.
Those four planes are part of a $3.6-billion deal to modernize Canada’s transport, VIP and air-to-air refuelling capabilities.
Canada’s first CC-330 arrived in Canada in October and took its first official flight earlier this month, transporting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the APEC summit in San Francisco.
https://nationalpost.com/news/rcaf-p...-guam-scrapped
Interesting bit in that linked article -
Perhaps it only needed a new ten dollar handbrake cable and a placard in the cockpit...........
In 2019, that same plane was put out of commission for nearly a year-and-a-half after it rolled away and collided with a hangar wall at CFB Trenton, causing $11 million in damage to its nose and an engine.
'... partially secured, without chocks...'
There may be a clue there, but the interesting discussion will no doubt be the one about responsibilities and procedures. And the airframe clearly had a penchant for rolling into things, so good riddance to it I guess! 😉
There may be a clue there, but the interesting discussion will no doubt be the one about responsibilities and procedures. And the airframe clearly had a penchant for rolling into things, so good riddance to it I guess! 😉
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It will be interesting to see how they are going to manage to scrap it at Guam though, it's not exactly at the centre of reprocessing metals.. or indeed at the centre of anything!
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I was once tasked with investigating a ground handling accident which ended up in damage to equipment costing over a million (US) In damages.
A ground vehicle wasn't chocked whilst unattended for (reasons/excuses) .... but that wasn't the only issue.
Smashes like this are quite disappointing to see happen. Sorry they lost an aircraft to it.
A ground vehicle wasn't chocked whilst unattended for (reasons/excuses) .... but that wasn't the only issue.
Smashes like this are quite disappointing to see happen. Sorry they lost an aircraft to it.
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France's A400 has been described in media reports as receiving "serious damage" to its tail as a result of Canada's CC 150 Polaris (A310-300) rolling back into it.
Has there been any discussion about what became of the A400 following the incident ?
Has there been any discussion about what became of the A400 following the incident ?
The 8-meter collision rebound underscores the large amount of energy involved in the collision and explains the major damage to both aircraft.
The various reports seem to be inconsistent. The RCAF report states that the aircraft was left “partially secured (without chocks)” while other media reports indicate that the crew set the parking brake and used chocks, but did not chock all wheels and used the wrong size chocks.
Curious how Andersen AFB does ramp control. Even if the RCAF crew didn’t properly secure the aircraft, were there no U.S. personnel periodically checking on ramp security? Back in the day as a civilian airport ramp rat, part of the job was running the ramp periodically to ensure all aircraft were secure.
The various reports seem to be inconsistent. The RCAF report states that the aircraft was left “partially secured (without chocks)” while other media reports indicate that the crew set the parking brake and used chocks, but did not chock all wheels and used the wrong size chocks.
Curious how Andersen AFB does ramp control. Even if the RCAF crew didn’t properly secure the aircraft, were there no U.S. personnel periodically checking on ramp security? Back in the day as a civilian airport ramp rat, part of the job was running the ramp periodically to ensure all aircraft were secure.
Is it so difficult for a large military aircraft to carry it`s own set of `chocks` everywhere....?
Not the case in many aircraft like the A400 I'm afraid. The hard part is getting a serviceable aircraft; that's not down to the crew but the 'adults' who are in charge of servicing it.
Awww what a shame, she was C-FXWD of Wardair Canada, new in 1988 (Airbus A310-304)
The Bush, Maritimes and Lakes pilot flyer's name was H.W. Harry Hayter.
These guys were are all pioneers of Canadian Aviation, mostly bush pilots, like Max Ward, who opened up the frozen North and West..
The Bush, Maritimes and Lakes pilot flyer's name was H.W. Harry Hayter.
These guys were are all pioneers of Canadian Aviation, mostly bush pilots, like Max Ward, who opened up the frozen North and West..
Last edited by rog747; 10th Dec 2023 at 08:10.
