Oops – British Airways 747 Wing Strikes Building on Wrong Taxiway

by Adam

Geez, what a picture…that building really took a hit!  The wing of a British Airways Boeing 747 clipped a building at Johannesburg OR Tambo airport (JNB) yesterday, slightly injuring four ground staff workers. According to the AP, the incident was caused by the plane using the wrong taxiway, one that was clearly too narrow for the passenger jet. Click below to enlarge.

BA Jo'burg

Air traffic control had instructed the crew of the British Airways Boeing 747-400 departing for London to use a specific taxi way, said SACAA spokeswoman Phindiwe Gwebu in a statement. However, the plane traveled on a different taxi way that was narrower. This resulted in the plane’s wing clipping a building behind the SAA technical hangars, she said. Four ground-handling staff in the building sustained minor injuries when they were hit by debris after the aircraft’s wing struck the building. ”The 17 crew and 185 passengers who were in the aircraft escaped unharmed and were evacuated,” said Gwebu. She said there was fuel spillage, but that this was contained by the airport’s fire services. Investigators witnessed the recovery of the aircraft, and the removal of the flight recorder, she said. ”The investigation continues,” said Gwebu. The aircraft was moved to a remote location and airport operations had not been disrupted by the accident, she said.

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