Aircraft collision at OR Tambo International Airport caused by a distracted staff and poor communication

An aircraft collision at OR Tambo International Airport in November 2022 was caused by a distracted driver and poor communication by SAA Technical staff.

This was revealed by Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, in a Parliamentary response to a question about the incident by National Assembly member Adil Nchabeleng.

Nchabeleng asked Creecy for details about the November 2022 aircraft collision at OR Tambo International Airport.

He also requested details about the R21.1 million damages claim instituted by Safair against SAA Technical.

Safair alleged that negligence by SAA Technical personnel caused an Airbus A320 to collide with its parked Boeing 737-800.

Nchabeleng also wanted to know the findings of the internal investigation conducted after the collision.

Creecy said that the incident on 11 November 2022 involved a South African Airways Airbus A320-232 colliding with a parked Safair Boeing 737-800.

The collision, which damaged both planes, occurred while the South African Airways aircraft was being towed by SAA Technical.

The SAA 320 Aircraft sustained damage to its wingtip, while the Safair 800 Aircraft sustained significant damage to its empennage section.

Both aircraft were removed from service. While the Safair 800 Aircraft was being repaired, Safair operated a Boeing 737-400 Aircraft in its place.

Safair sought to hold SAA Technical liable for the Incident and initially claimed payment of US$446,059 for the costs to repair the damage to the Safair 800 Aircraft.

It asked for a further US$3.227 million for loss of income resulting from removal of the Safair 800 Aircraft from service.

After the collision, the SAA Technical Safety Department conducted an investigation to determine its cause.

It found that the people involved were distracted because they performed unrelated tasks while the aircraft was under tow.

There was also inadequate communication between the tug driver and the engineer, which constituted the root cause of the incident.

Remedial action and consequences for the guilty parties

Creecy said that after the investigation’s findings, the company implemented remedial action and consequence management.

The tug driver and engineer involved were reprimanded and required to attend human factors refresher training.

During this training, there was an emphasis on managing distractions and ensuring effective communication.

All maintenance personnel involved in towing received training to enhance awareness of the risks of multitasking during towing operations.

SAA Technical also implemented specific operational controls to prevent multitasking during towing operations.

This includes prohibiting the use of technical logbooks on the flight deck while an aircraft is under tow and requiring the flight deck door to remain closed.

The company further mandated the use of a two-way communication system between the tug drivers and the on-board engineers during all towing operations.

It also introduced a mandatory pre-tow verification process requiring the departure desk and team leaders to confirm tow readiness.

SAA Technical further reviewed the workload-allocation process, including applicable cut-off times, to reduce operational pressure.

This, it said, was to minimise the risk of personnel undertaking competing tasks during safety-critical towing activities.

The incident was included as a case study in the Human Factors and Human Factors Refresher training programmes.

This is aimed at reinforcing awareness of human-factor risks and embedding the lessons learned across relevant operational teams.

Regarding the multimillion-rand claim, Creecy said that it was managed by SAA Technical’s insurers, in consultation with their appointed legal representatives.