JAL 787 hits fire truck in Tampa

[Dog Driver]

The airport sent out two fire trucks to welcome the chartered 787 carrying the Japanese soccer team. Unfortunately, the plane clipped the truck's boom with the right wing.

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Welcome to America guys... sorry 'bout that.

[superq7]

OMG how embarrassing ! I think the fire truck driver is going to be looking for a new job.

[MATELO]

with all the training, people like medical, police, fire and armed forces don't make more of them.

You've answered you own question.

[grounded27]

That's going to be expensive...

[SKS777FLYER]

My first thought was the fire trucks were assigned by the airport operator to assist if need be in assuring cooling for possible 787 Hot Battery Boxes

[glad rag]

Thank heavens they didn't evac...

[Glonass]

OMG how embarrassing ! I think the fire truck driver is going to be looking for a new job.

As pilot in command, aren't you supposed to be exactly that: "in command"?

If you taxi the airplane into a stopped vehicle, I wonder who's to blame

[waffler]

If the copilots windscreen is being sprayed with water by the offending
Firetruck how can they see clearly through it ?

[Burnie5204]

"Tampa ground this is JAL123, we appear to have hit something can you roll the rescue tru.... nevermind..."

[Peter47]

Will it make Anna Aero's arch of the week?

Arch of Triumph Archives - anna.aero

On a serious note I hope that there wasn't any serious damage.

[Capn Bloggs]

As pilot in command, aren't you supposed to be exactly that: "in command"?
If you taxi the airplane into a stopped vehicle, I wonder who's to blame

Typical dinosaur attitude harking back to when when aeroplanes were a fifth of the size, had straight wings and you could easily open the window and have a good look out.

[Glonass]

Oh! Of course. But this dinosaur knows better: if in doubt set the parking brake. It has nothing to do with the size of the airplane or if you see the tip of your wing. It's about not using the airplane as a shopping cart.

[Piltdown Man]

This is the standard "doing what you have not been trained to do" scenario being played, yet again. This is the ground equivalent of the AF296 at Habsheim. Until people learn, this will happen again and again. But please, let's make sure that the un-constructive comments from superq7 and Glonass are lost in the noise. Blame, firing, sacking, fining have absolutely no part in any safety system.

[Machinbird]

This is the standard "doing what you have not been trained to do" scenario being played, yet again. This is the ground equivalent of the AF296 at Habsheim.

It takes experience to know when you are being led down the primrose path to danger.

For the JAL pilots, just slowing down might have allowed the fire truck to back out of danger.

For the fire truck driver, expecting the possibility of a wing-truck collision would have cause him to position differently or at least to be ready to back out of danger.

Wonder who the bozo was that thought up this "special recognition"? Someone did not do their homework.

[Nightstop]

Most airports that use mobile rigs for off stand de-icing have a protocol for what is a similar scenario i.e. vehicles in close proximity to an aircraft with engines running should be a certain distance away until the aircraft comes to a complete stop. Maybe they should have got the de-icing team to do this instead?

[727gm]

nowadays with the side window heat/distortion AND raked wingtips they may or may not be able to be seen at all....

[M.Mouse]

I have always thought that driving an aircraft through an arch of water from fire engines was a bit naff.

[misd-agin]

Fire truck was probably parked far enough away. But obviously the extended boom wasn't clear of the wingtip.

[misd-agin]

Side window heat and distortion? Guys take pictures out of them all the time so it can't be that bad.


Raked wingtips, with no opening side windows, is a different issue.

[Ian W]

Simple Fix

Cost of damage borne by Airport Fire Service as the trucks should not have been there as there was no emergency. If they can show they were directed to be there by the Airport Manager then the airport should pay. The rule is and always has been on the airport surface 'vehicles give way to aircraft' doesn't matter what you are there for they give way.

Therefore, it is always the vehicle's fault.