Australian safety regulators have launched an investigation into a “near collision” between two passenger aircraft at Sydney Airport on Sunday morning that resulted in a crew member injury.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) reported that a Jetstar Airbus A320 was taxiing for a flight to the Gold Coast when its crew “observed a Qatar Airways Boeing 777, under tow from an aircraft tug, in close proximity on a crossing taxiway.”
Both aircraft were forced to stop abruptly to avoid a collision. The ATSB confirmed that the sudden halt caused damage to the connection between the Qatar Airways 777 nose gear and the aircraft tug.
A Jetstar spokeswoman stated, “Our aircraft was following instructions by Air Traffic Control when the pilots were forced to brake firmly after another aircraft came in close proximity.” During this maneuver, a cabin crew member moving through the cabin was injured and subsequently treated by paramedics.
Investigators are currently collecting data from both aircraft and air traffic control, alongside conducting interviews with flight crew and tug operators to determine the cause of the incident. The regulator has also requested that witnesses at the airport provide any video footage of the event.
Airservices Australia confirmed that flight operations at Sydney Airport are experiencing delays following the incident. Qatar Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An official not authorized to speak publicly indicated that preliminary information suggests the tug pulling the Qatar Airways plane may have failed to follow air traffic control instructions.
The incident occurs amidst a series of unrelated aviation headlines, including reports of a Kerala passenger arrested after a mid-flight exit attempt, a flight cancellation due to a child refusing to buckle up, the discovery of wreckage from a missing cargo plane in Pakistan, and recent political discourse regarding a $400 million Air Force One gift involving Qatar.
Source: Gulf News
