It’s so disturbing to see the type of damage that occurred to a Boeing 737 aircraft at Rome’s Ciampino Airport this past week because it is preventable. Photos of the damage show ripped metal and exposed the inner structure of the aircraft’s horizontal stabilizer. To me, as I’m sure to many readers, this kind of damage looks like a wound on an otherwise perfectly good aircraft.
According to news reports, the aircraft was parked unattended and without passengers when it suddenly began to roll backwards. It eventually rolled approximately 120 feet into an airport garage, causing what has been estimated at $360,000 in damage. This may be the cost of repair of the aircraft but the total costs, I’m sure, will far exceed that, including the costs of investigating what occurred and, of course, all the costs attendant to taking an aircraft out of service.
While the investigation has just begun, initial reports point to the possible failure of the ground handling company to place chocks behind the aircraft wheels. Whatever caused the aircraft to roll unexpectedly, it’s a good opportunity to remind ground handlers of the importance of every step in the securing of aircraft and the use of checklists to accomplish those tasks.
