Cause of Heathrow Collision Between Korean Air and Icelandair Boeings Confirmed

A Korean Air Boeing 777-300 and an Icelandair Boeing 757-200 crashed into each other at London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) last year. The UK’s aviation safety agency has released its report on what caused this incident and how it can be prevented in future.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) published its findings on June 8, 2023, after investigating the collision that happened on September 28. 2022, at 6:50pm. Both aircraft were damaged but no one was injured.

The AAIB said that the main reason for the collision was that the Icelandair Boeing 757 was not fully parked on its stand and was sticking out onto the taxiway. The Korean Air Boeing 777 tried to pass behind it but hit its tail.

The AAIB said that there were several factors that contributed to this situation, such as:

• The pilots of the Boeing 777 thought it was safe to taxi past the Boeing 757 because they had clearance from Air Traffic Control and green taxiway lights. They also thought that the Boeing 757 was fully parked because its anti-collision light seemed to be off, but it was actually on.
• The pilots of the Boeing 757 did not follow the Heathrow rule to stop on the taxiway centerline and inform Air Traffic Control if there was no stand guidance available. They said they usually turned onto the stand first and then looked for guidance. They also said they did not contact Air Traffic Control because of radio congestion.
• Air Traffic Control could not see the parking stand from the tower and did not know that the Boeing 757 was not fully parked. The ground radar also did not show the Boeing 757 once it turned onto the stand.
• The stand guidance system was not switched on when the Boeing 757 arrived on the stand. This was a common problem at Heathrow, which was worsened by staff shortages on the day of the accident. The staff shortages were caused by the closure of a tunnel that connected the central area of the airport.
• The AAIB said that this was not the first time such an incident had occurred at Heathrow. Six weeks before this event, a Boeing 787-800 hit a Boeing 787-900 that was also not fully parked. The Boeing 787-800 took off without knowing it was damaged and flew to its destination.

The AAIB concluded that: “The collision occurred because the commander of the Boeing 777 continued to taxi past the protruding Boeing 757, believing it was fully parked and that the Air Traffic Control clearance and green taxiway lights implied the route was clear. The commander of the Boeing 757 did not follow the Heathrow instruction to remain on the centerline if no stand guidance is available, because his normal practice was to look for guidance after he had turned onto the stand.”

The AAIB added that: “The initiating event was a lack of stand guidance when the B757 arrived on stand, caused by ground staff shortages. Lack of stand guidance is a common occurrence at Heathrow that all parties should continue to work together to address.”

The Korean Air jet had 18 crew members and 199 passengers on board, while the Icelandair jet had six crew members and an unknown number of passengers.