The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) today (May 14) published the final report (1/2021) on the investigation into a serious incident that involved a Cathay Dragon Airbus A330-343 aircraft (registration mark B-HLT) at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) on January 24, 2020.

     At around 4.45pm, the aircraft was pushed back by a tow tractor from Parking Bay N66 of HKIA to Taxilane B7 for departure to Kaohsiung. After the pushback, the aircraft collided with the left-hand side of the tow tractor, causing damage to the nose landing gear (NLG). No person was injured. The occurrence was classified as a serious incident according to the criteria of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
      
     The investigation was conducted by a team of professional investigators in adherence to international standards established by the ICAO. The investigation identified that the ground handling crew disconnected the towbar without confirming that the parking brake light on the NLG was on and a chock was placed in front of the NLG wheels. The investigation team has made four safety recommendations.
      
     "The investigation report was published by the AAIA with the objective of identifying the circumstances and causes of the serious incident with a view to preventing recurrence," an AAIA spokesperson said.
      
     Throughout the investigation, all parties concerned were properly consulted on the report. The report is available for download at the AAIA webpage (www.thb.gov.hk/aaia/eng/investigation_reports/index.htm).

Ends/Friday, May 14, 2021
Issued at HKT 16:05

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