On Tuesday, a LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the injured party in a collision with a catering truck at Heathrow Airport. The incident resulted in damage to the right side winglet and the cancelation of flight LO282. A few years ago, Heathrow specifically issued a safety alert, warning ground support staff to pay particular attention when operating near the 737 MAX’s split scimitar winglets.
Earlier Tuesday, a LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX was getting ready to operate flight LO282 from London Heathrow to Warsaw. However, as fate would have it, the aircraft’s right winglet was hit instead by an overly friendly catering truck. The incident took place while the plane was still parked at the gate.
LOT Boeing 737 MAX 8 (SP-LVD) collided with truck during ground operations at Heathrow LHR/EGLL, while preparing to flight #LO282 to Warsaw WAW/EPWA. Advanced Technology Winglet on right wing was hit and damaged. @JacdecNew @PBondaryk pic.twitter.com/GVGI1412VD
— Łukasz Hinc⚡️ (@xHINCulek) December 28, 2021
Flight LO282 canceled
The estimated departure time for flight LO282 from LHR was at 11:30 local time, with scheduled arrival in Warsaw at 13:40. However, the damage to the sharklet was too severe and the flight was canceled following the incident.
“Due to the damage of the SPLVD aircraft by the handling agent’s equipment and damaged winglet (sharklet), the flight from LHR to WAW has been cancelled,” a spokesperson for LOT Polish Airlines told Simple Flying. They further stated that all passengers had been re-booked on other flights.
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Ground support staff warned of 737 MAX winglets
As is visible in the photo from the incident in the Tweet above, the catering truck collided with the bottom half of the split scimitar winglet of the aircraft. In 2018, Heathrow Airport published a safety alert that informed ground handling staff to be particularly mindful when operating around the 737 MAX’s wings.
“Ground handling staff and other personnel should exercise particular caution whilst operating around these aircraft types to protect themselves, the aircraft and equipment from injury and damage,” the bulletin from a few years back reads.
The distance from the ground to the lowest winglet is three and a half meters. Furthermore, the winglet protrudes at a 45-degree angle. As such, operators of ground support vehicles were advised not to drive under the wing. They were also told always to use a banksman when reversing or otherwise concerned over wingtip clearance.
They should also pay particular attention to the correct placement of wingtip cones. These are meant to be positioned so that they protect the outer extremity of the winglet. Somewhat ironically, perhaps, the example aircraft in the 2018 alert was a 737 MAX 8 from LOT Polish Airlines, albeit SP-LVA rather than Tuesday’s unlucky SP-LVD.
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