More than 300 passengers were left stranded when a plane taxiing on a runway suddenly struck the tail of another aircraft with its wing – the incident is being investigated
Four pilots have been suspended after a shocking airport incident saw a jet cut the tail of another aircraft as passengers watched on in horror. The incident occurred in Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi on Friday afternoon and saw a Boeing and an Airbus plane collide at Noi Bai International Airport.
The Boeing 787 was taxiing for takeoff for a flight from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City. As it did so, its right wingtip hit part of the tail on the Airbus A321, which was also waiting to depart Dien Bien. Both planes are operated by Vietnam Airlines.
Damage to the Airbus’ tail was caused along with the Boeing’s wingtip. Both aircraft were grounded so technical inspections could take place, while replacement planes were arranged for the stranded passengers.
A total of 380 passengers were onboard the two flights at the time of the incident. Vietnam Airlines suspended two pilots from each flight and set up an independent team to investigate the cause of the incident with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the VN Express reported.
The incident was classified at a ‘Level B’ incident by the CAAV, the second most serious on the five-tier scale used by investigators. This indicates there was a severe breach of safety that led to temporary runway or taxiway closure.
Initial findings have suggested the Airbus was not in its designated point on the taxiway when the collision occurred.
It comes after a devastating crash in India this month saw more than 270 people killed when a London-bound flight struck a medical college hostel in a residential area of the northwestern city of Ahmedabad minutes after take-off.
The crash killed 241 people onboard and at least 29 on the ground. One passenger survived. The flag carrier of India said alternative arrangements had been made to fly the affected passengers to their destination at the earliest convenience.
The British survivor of the crash said it was a “miracle” he survived, but added he feels “terrible” he could not save his brother. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh told The Sun: “It’s a miracle I survived. I am OK physically but I feel terrible that I could not save Ajay.”
Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft’s emergency exits. He said: “If we had been sat together we both might have survived.
“I tried to get two seats together but someone had already got one. Me and Ajay would have been sitting together. But I lost my brother in front of my eyes. So now I am constantly thinking ‘Why can’t I save my brother?’”