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Easyjet A320 and KLM B737 collide at Schiphol

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Easyjet A320 and KLM B737 collide at Schiphol

Old 9th Jul 2019, 08:54
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Easyjet A320 and KLM B737 collide at Schiphol

Full story at airlive

A KLM spokesperson said the aircraft hit each other during the ‘pushback’.

KLM Boeing 737-800 was ready to leave for Madrid and the easyJet plane was on its way to London.

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Old 9th Jul 2019, 08:55
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Story link with photo is here
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Old 9th Jul 2019, 16:21
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Well the Sun is in no doubt as to whose fault it was.

Video: EasyJet plane with Brit tourists on board crashes into aircraft at Amsterdam airport

WTF were the two tug crews thinking ?
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Old 9th Jul 2019, 19:29
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Both aircraft were cleared to push at the same time, apparently. According to sources. Atc recordings back it up.

clear video of the incident happening:

https://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/7717027/1cbc29f4

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Old 9th Jul 2019, 20:25
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Not pointing fingers...

I am pretty sure at Schipol (and the video seems to confirm it) the pushback crew consists of one person who is obviously driving the tug, I wonder how hard it is to see behind the aircraft sitting in the tug?

Miscommunication between fine flight deck and their pushback crew or ATC confusion, either way a tad embarrassing.
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Old 9th Jul 2019, 22:16
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Controller error, he says so himself on the frequency. He wrongly thought one of them (I can't remember which now) was at a different gate and thus cleared both to push.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 12:33
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We have been told that it is down to the company who pull the planes onto the runway.
Wow, being wrong on so many levels at the same time in one sentence.

The controller gave push back clearance to both aircraft. Apparently he did not realise that this Easyjet flight was departing from the D pier and not the H pier, where Easyjet normally operates from. Off course the pushback drivers could have still prevented if they had realised it, but to their defence, the view from the push back truck isn't that good.

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Old 10th Jul 2019, 13:39
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Cost cutting and minimum crews for every element of the operation means this sort of thing is inevitable. The tug driver, if working alone already has plenty to be keeping them occupied. Would it have happened with wing men? Unlikely - but they cost more money.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 13:55
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It is OK. I am sure this is considered (with a conservative occurrence probability) when the decision is taken to reduce staff to minimum. Everyone is doing their job.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 14:13
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The controller gave push back clearance to both aircraft
So two tug drivers each have a clearance to push back - it's not an instruction. Each driver still needs to be satisfied it's safe before they move the aircraft. I bet wing walkers will seem less costly now!

Controller error,
Error yes, but I don't think responsibility.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 15:32
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Unfortunately it is his responsibility. He and only he issued the pushback clearance.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 15:38
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Ignorant question: were both tug drivers on the same frequency?
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 15:45
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In my day it was the captain of the aircraft who received push back clearance and then communicated that to the engineer on the intercom who then communicated it to the tug driver. Is it different now?
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 16:01
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Unfortunately it is his responsibility. He and only he issued the pushback clearance.
Yes the controller issued a clearance, however, the clearance does not constitute an instruction to push back. 'Same as "you're cleared for takeoff" is a clearance, not an instruction. ATC does not say to a pilot: "takeoff now". It is up to the pilot to determine that it is safe to takeoff, and begin when he/she is ready, and has a clearance. I can't see how it's different for a tug driver - "you're cleared to push back [when it safe to do so]" - if the tug driver chooses to wait to not run over a ramp hand, or wait for a baggage cart to be moved, or another jet to be out of the way, the tug driver is doing his job properly.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 16:06
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Originally Posted by Pilot DAR
Yes the controller issued a clearance, however, the clearance does not constitute an instruction to push back. 'Same as "you're cleared for takeoff" is a clearance, not an instruction. ATC does not say to a pilot: "takeoff now". It is up to the pilot to determine that it is safe to takeoff, and begin when he/she is ready, and has a clearance. I can't see how it's different for a tug driver - "you're cleared to push back [when it safe to do so]" - if the tug driver chooses to wait to not run over a ramp hand, or wait for a baggage cart to be moved, or another jet to be out of the way, the tug driver is doing his job properly.
I can see that. However, I would expect the tug driver is trained to expect that the clearance to push back reflects the Controller's monitoring of objects that s/he is aware of i.e (principally) other airframes.

The tug driver will be responsible for the safety of the action vis a vis objects unknown to the Controller, as you say, but the prime control over aircraft movements sits with Ground Operations no?
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 16:22
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the tug driver is trained to expect ......
I can't say how tug drivers are trained, though I'm imagining some refresher training coming up soon, but, whenever I have moved a plane (either as a driver, or a pilot), I have satisfied myself entirely about a safe area, before I move. That might include a wing walker I trust, and can see directly.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 17:16
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Originally Posted by Old and Horrified
In my day it was the captain of the aircraft who received push back clearance and then communicated that to the engineer on the intercom who then communicated it to the tug driver. Is it different now?
Not where I work.
Schipol seems to have a different procedure.
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 17:32
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Originally Posted by TURIN
Not where I work.
So how does it happen where you work? And does your profile including UK mean that you work in the UK?
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 18:01
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Originally Posted by DaveReidUK
WTF were the two tug crews thinking ?
"I've been cleared to push"?

"As I was pushing, it suddenly got harder"?

"WTF was that crunching noise?"?
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Old 10th Jul 2019, 18:15
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Push approved.....not a clearance. The onus is squarely on the tug crew to make sure there is nothing in the way. Controller made an error...but if you remove wing walkers....well I sort of wonder who did the risk analysis for that and how they mitigated it.
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