How long will it be there one asks??? 3 Months some say, its causing dalays in the peak hours now. Business people won't be happy.

When an Afghan Airbus went off the runway at LTBA a little while ago and it proved difficult to move, the airport authorities just hacked it up to get it out of the way. Considering the value (or lack thereof) of the RJ hulls could this Jumbolino go the same way?

There's nowhere else to park it I'm afraid unless they shove it over the side and into the dock (!)

Well, the place is often referred to as 'HMS London City' and tipping wrecks overboard was an every-day SOP in carrier ops!

Don't think it will be leaving LCY by air!

Had this happen a few years ago to a flybe 146 (although possibly not as bad as this one). We ended up ferrying it out to Exeter unpressurised. It's a pretty tough structure, having said that you have to be careful when the ribs and stringers are damaged near the tail.

Probably not a good idea to scrap it, RJs are currently in quite high demand (although 146s are on the way out now, it seems).

LCY is heavily ramp-constrained, so if an aircraft goes tech it ends up blocking a stand and causing delays unless it can be towed off stand into a contingency parking place. There are not many contingency parking spots at LCY, and the Swiss RJ is occupying one. So its presence doesn't cause delays as long as everything else is running perfectly, but it exacerbates the delays that may occur if other aircraft go tech.

C.

During peak times its highy unlikely that a tech a.c on a stand will be get a chance to be towed due to the stream of a.c on the taxi way or entering or exiting the Jet center.

However supose it would cause problems the next morning etc.

What are the options they have for this aircraft? its obvious that the a.c isn't going to be flown out . . .

Some strange comments here.

Came through LCY 8 pm last night and it was still all-stands full, unusual well into the evening. But that was nothing to do with the incident aircraft, which is shoved into the far corner by the fire trainer where AOG aircraft are always put.

From the taxyways and from the road there seems no visible damage to the aircraft so it would be unlikely to be unrepairable.

Tail strike the damage would be under the aircraft wouldn't it. Therefore the damage wouldn't be seen.

Stories have it that it will be moved, and then a hangar built over it ,and it could be there for 3 months.......Hope not!

More a problem for LCY parking than for swiss - rumour has it they only have crews for 13 of the 22 they have - at least at LCY its not paying parking elsewhere but a case for the insurance funds!

I'm sure LCY Ops are charging Swiss for the parking arrangements.

Friend of mine who works in the Hotel opposite says the aircraft has had the "Swiss" part of the a.c covered over now also.

It seems as if you would need to be up close to appreciate the severity of the damage to her! I have been told that the structural damage is quite extensive and if they elect to repair her and get her flying again then we will be talking months rather than weeks of work. Furthermore, LCY is not the place for heavy maintenance which will not help matters!

Where else could they move it at LCY. I exspect they have spoken about the possibilty of using a stand for the duration and covering cost, but this would be ££££. They seem buggered, hense how no work has been done for one week now.

Didn't anyone anticipate that sooner or later an aircraft would be disabled at LCY ? Wasn't there a plan ?

Interesting problems

Is a parked plane negative advertising or just no problem?

How to fix it and what comes cheaper in the end - disassemble into road haulage chunks and take to somewhere else to fix or scrap for spares - fix it pronto on-site (3-shift working with an inflateable hangar ) - or risk flying it out ? What would be your choice - and does anybody really know just how bad the real damage is?

Watch this space


P.S.: How's about a ruddy great Barge alongside the airport and tow it across onto said barge - then it can be floated off to wherever - problem here is probably to find a wherever to unload the bloody thing where it can be repaired. but the parking bill might be lower!

Didn't anyone think of this problem when they designed a short strip with a 5.5% glide slope? Someone. sometime was going to smack a tail. Putting bigger and bigger aircraft in there ( ie the RJ100/146-300) only precipitates the inevitable. Didn't they think that it might, just might, be impossible to fly them out sooner rather than later?

heard on the street 20 frames or so are damaged, will need to be jacked up as the a/c cannot position out at all.

latest is the aircraft may be put onto a barge & placed over on the prepared surface where the redbull area was for the 3 months or so to repair it. The airport are very reluctant to let them have a stand for that long to then put a temp hangar over it.

watch this space.

Would it not be possible (perhaps its uneconomical to do so) to remove the wings and stick it on a low loader to remove to a more suitable maintenance establishment? With the wings off it wouldnt be especially wide...