British Airways pilot and groundcrew worker were injured when Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s nose hit the ground because landing gear was retracted by accident at Heathrow, report finds

• British Airways plane suffered ‘significant damage’ after nose hit the ground 
• Boeing 787 Dreamliner tipped forward while it prepared for takeoff last year 
• Co-pilot in the cockpit and cargo worker sustained minor injuries in the incident 
• The design of the aircraft created ‘an opportunity for error’, investigators said 

A British Airways plane suffered ‘significant damage’ and staff sustained injuries after it tipped forward and its nose hit the ground while preparing for takeoff at Heathrow.

A pin inserted in the wrong place led the landing gear under the plane’s nose to retract during a maintenance procedure, causing the aircraft to fall forwards, a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has found.

This resulted in the BA co-pilot, who was in the cockpit, and a member of the cargo loading crew, sustaining minor injuries.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet was being prepared for a cargo flight to Frankfurt, Germany on June 18 last year when the incident took place.

A British Airways plane suffered ‘significant damage’ and staff sustained injuries after it tipped forward and its nose hit the ground while preparing for takeoff at Heathrow

Doors were partially detached from their hinges and deep scratches were scored into the outer surface of the fuselage

Pressure from ground staff ‘impeded [flight crew’s] conduct of post-incident duties’, the AAIB said

The force of the plane’s impact with the ground caused some onboard passenger oxygen masks to drop and overhead baggage compartment doors to open.

‘Significant damage’ was inflicted on the lower front section of the jet, which was parked at stand 583 in Heathrow’s Terminal 5, the report stated.

Doors were partially detached from their hinges and deep scratches were scored into the outer surface of the fuselage.

There were also score marks, distressed rivet heads and damage done to a fixed power unit. 

The British Airways flight crew told investigators that when they left the aircraft the situation was ‘mayhem’ as they were confronted by a large number of people who wanted to know what had happened.

Pressure from ground staff ‘impeded their conduct of post-incident duties’, the AAIB said.

There were also score marks, distressed rivet heads (left) and damage done to a fixed power unit (right)

‘Significant damage’ was inflicted on the lower front section of the jet, which was parked at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 stand 583, the report stated

The design of the aircraft created ‘an opportunity for error’ when inserting the nose landing gear locking pin, investigators concluded.

Guidance on how to avoid the mistake had previously been published but action had not yet been taken with the plane involved in the incident.

The deadline for compliance is January 2023.

The AAIB said the operator – British Airways – and Heathrow have introduced ‘a number of safety actions’ in relation to aircraft modifications and maintenance, and incident response procedures.

A British Airways spokesman said: ‘Safety is always our priority and we’ve put a number of stringent measures in place to help mitigate the chance of an incident like this happening again in the future.’

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