Lorry crashes into PLANE at Heathrow and pierces aircraft's body after ‘laughable mistake' by driver
A DRIVER has smashed into a grounded plane after he "confused the accelerator for the brake".
The lorry crashed into the body of the Saudia Boeing 787-9 at Heathrow Airport on May 28 - piercing the aircraft and leading to long delays.
It came just minutes after passengers on the SVA105 flight from King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, had departed the plane at Terminal 4 of the London-based airport at around 2:54pm.
Baggage handlers at the scene described how the driver mixed up the pedals of the lorry and caused the damage.
One said: "The driver must have probably been trying to perform a safety protocol manoeuvre where, when approaching the aircraft, they hit the brakes on multiple occasions.
"They have a protocol where they have to fully stop several times when moving towards the aircraft.
"I think he confused the accelerator for the brakes - smashing into the plane near stand 414.
"The damage doesn't look that big but it pierced right through the body of the aircraft, which makes it a serious incident.
"Fire fighters and the police came because even for a small technical error, everyone has to attend the site, so it becomes a major event.
"That aircraft won't be able to go anywhere for a long time because they have to replace it and they have to be airtight to fly of course."
The following flight from Heathrow to Jeddah was cancelled because of the damage, and passengers on the original flight suffered delays to their baggage reclaim.
The baggage handler said: "I don't know what the damage is like within, but I presume ABM will be liable for the damage.
"As the lorry was inching closer, instead of doing a brake check, it just accelerated forwards into the plane.
"Everyone was shocked because all the work had to be stopped - it's just so stupid and ridiculous, it's almost laughable.
"I think it took over an hour to remove the lorry from the airport. They have to take pictures and take down witness reports from everyone involved like the pilot, the driver and the airport staff.
"It's very rare that it happened - some of us have more than 15 years experience of baggage handling and between us we've never seen anything like it."
ABM and Saudia were contacted for comment.
1
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
37 minutes ago
- The Sun
Huge blaze engulfs warehouse with smoke visible for miles as urgent warning issued to locals & firefighters battle fire
Milad Sherzad, News Reporter Published: Invalid Date, AN ENORMOUS fire has engulfed a warehouse sending smoke billowing into the sky tonight. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has issued urgent warnings to locals to keep their windows and doors shut as around 80 firefighters tackle the devastating blaze at the two-storey warehouse in Enfield, north London. 6 6 6 Residents have even reported seeing smoke rising high into the night sky from miles away. At present, 12 fire engines are fighting the blaze which is "currently producing a greater amount of smoke", LFB said. The emergency service added that it expects its crews to be at the scene for several hours. Dramatic footage shows a number of fire engines surrounding the warehouse as smoke billows high above into the night sky. In the background, ambulances can also be seen parked nearby - it is currently not known if there have been any injuries from the blaze. The fire can also be seen slowly creeping its way through the roof of the structure - which appears to have caved in - sending even more smoke high above the warehouse. Surrounding the burning structure are a number of other buildings, including one bearing branding from supermarket Tesco while another appears to belong to delivery company Yodel. Cars can also be seen driving along the M25 motorway just metres away from the blaze. Countless locals have taken to social media to share pictures of the fire, with some images showing the inferno sending smoke upwards in large dark plumes. LFB said its crews received the first of around 30 calls at approximately 8.05pm on Saturday evening. Fire crews were then deployed from a number of stations across London in order to tackle the inferno, including from Enfield, Edmonton, Chingford and Woodford, the force said. It added that its crews are being assisted by Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service and Essex County Fire & Rescue Service. Two 32-metre turntable ladders from Tottenham and Soho fire stations have also been utilised, LFB added. They are being "used as a water tower to help extinguish the fire from above". 6 6 6 LFB said it has also deployed a "Hose Layer Unit" as part of its response, helping to increase the amount of water available for firefighting operations. In a statement on Saturday evening, LFB confirmed that the cause of the devastating blaze was not yet known. Mollison Avenue, the road leading to the warehouses, has been shut, with diversion routes now in place. In an update posted shortly after midnight, Enfield Council said the fire was now "contained".
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
America's queen of jams savages Meghan Markle's latest 'As Ever' fruit spread: 'There's no excuse for this'
The Duchess of Sussex may have set the tills ringing with the latest 'As Ever' merchandise, but her new apricot spread has been savaged by critics – within hours of going on sale. Champion jam-maker Donna Collins said: 'It's a real disappointment that Meghan is selling a fruit spread, which is what you make when your jam fails. In the jam industry a spread is what we call something that didn't work. 'It can have the best ingredients, but if I had a jam that was too runny, I'd slap a label on it and call it a spread. There's no excuse for this. It should be perfect.' Ms Collins, who owns Jelly Queens jam company and has won more than 40 world championship honours in jam-making competitions, also queried the ingredients in Meghan's spread. The jars, sold in keepsake packaging for £10 or plain for £7, list conventionally grown apricots, dried organic apricots, organic pure cane sugar and fruit pectin. 'Why should she include conventionally grown apricots, which will have used pesticides?' said Ms Collins. 'And why is she using pectin, which is a gelling agent, unless it's because her spread was too runny? Most spreads don't use pectin.' Meghan launched her 'As Ever' brand in April with a raspberry spread, which critics attacked for being ill-suited for spreading on bread or toast. Many fans who jumped online the moment Meghan's 'As Ever' products went up for sale on Friday were disappointed to learn the apricot spread had sold out. Ms Collins added: 'Her apricot spread sold out in minutes, just like her earlier raspberry spread, which may mean they only made a small batch. 'I don't know who's making her spread, but we all know it's not Meghan. It sounds like they really don't know what they are doing.' Maureen Foley, owner of Red Hen Cannery near Montecito, said she suspected Meghan wanted to make a spread to take advantage of marketing opportunities. 'She may be smart trying to fill a niche,' said Ms Foley. 'Spreads can be sweet or savoury, and used on dishes for all meals, so perhaps it's just clever marketing.'
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Gloom grows in UK boardrooms as bosses lament 'hostile' economy
Pessimism is deepening in boardrooms across the UK as bosses prepare for economic conditions at home and globally to worsen, a new report suggests. Around 70 per cent of boardroom leaders expect worldwide economic conditions to worsen in the year ahead, while just 5.4 per cent believe they will improve, according to a survey by The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland. By contrast, only 22.2 per cent in 2024 anticipated a deterioration in global economic conditions, and exactly double that percentage forecast them getting better. Nearly two-thirds of respondents also think the UK's economic circumstances will weaken further, compared to just a quarter asked the same question last year. CGI said executives are concerned UK competitiveness would not improve in the months ahead, due to factors like US trade tariffs and UK Government policy. President Donald Trump has slapped a 10 per cent baseline tariff on most US imports, as well as a 25 per cent import tax on car parts and a 50 per cent levy on foreign steel and aluminium. The tariffs have heightened anxieties about economic growth slowing, both in the UK and internationally, and inflationary pressures for consumers and businesses magnifying. Meanwhile, the proportion of boardroom leaders who said their firms plan on cutting capital expenditure over the next year rose to over a quarter, while none are forecasting a 'considerable' increase. 'The results remind us that boardroom decision-making has rarely been more challenging,' said the report. 'Organisations of every type are operating in a fluid, and often, hostile environment that (this year particularly) offers few certainties and elevated risk,' it added. The biggest concern for most boards is cybersecurity, with 71 per cent of governance professionals predicting cyber risks will grow this year. However, a smaller proportion of boards - 66 per cent - intend to raise spending on IT security, against 80 per cent in 2024/25. Among significant worry is regulation; most quoted governance professionals believe rules are 'slightly excessive'. Peter Swabey, policy and research director at CGI UK & Ireland, said: 'Governance professionals, always in tune with board sentiments, reveal a boardroom mood of caution and recalibration. 'While AI and cyber resilience are climbing the agenda, confidence in the UK's economic outlook and regulatory environment remains fragile. 'The Government's industrial strategy will need to address these concerns if it is to unlock long-term investment.' Having originally set to be announced this spring, Britain's industrial strategy is now set to be published in the last week of June. Defence, digital infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing comprised the top four priorities for the industrial strategy among the CGI survey's interviewees. The strategy is also set to include details on the creative, financial services, life sciences, and professional and business services sectors. CGI's survey was based on the full responses of 96 participants from organisations either based in or operating in the UK. Governance professionals in private businesses and members of quoted firms each comprised 35 per cent of the responses. The remaining 30 per cent were from representatives of the public sector, charities and other ownership structures.
