Distracted crew blamed for R21 million plane collision at OR Tambo airport

FlySafair is seeking more than R21 million in damages from SAA Technical (SAAT) following a 2022 aircraft collision at OR Tambo International Airport, with allegations that a failure to respond to a warning contributed to the incident.

The collision occurred on 11 November 2022, when an unoccupied South African Airways Airbus A320 being towed towards a maintenance facility struck a parked Safair Boeing 737-800.

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Damages claim

Responding to Parliamentary questions from MK MP Adil Nchabeleng, Transport minister Barbara Creecy said that Safair initially claimed R7.42 million for the repairs and R53.7 million (total R61.12 million) for loss of income.

However, Safair has subsequently approached the Johannesburg High Court to lodge a R21 million damages claim against SAA Technical.

According to allegations in the court papers, a shear pin on the towing equipment failed, allowing the Airbus to veer off its intended path.

The employee operating the tug allegedly moved clear after the equipment failed and attempted to warn a colleague who was in the Airbus cockpit to operate its brakes.

FlySafair alleges that the warning was not acted on in time to prevent the collision.

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R21.1 million damages claim

The collision damaged both aircraft.

The SAA Airbus sustained wingtip damage, while the Safair Boeing suffered damage to its tail and auxiliary power unit.

Neither aircraft was carrying passengers or crew at the time.

FlySafair claims the damage forced it to remove the Boeing from commercial service while repairs were undertaken.

The aircraft was reportedly unavailable between 1 and 22 December 2022, during the busy festive travel period.

The airline alleges that 132 planned flight sectors were affected, contributing to the R21.1 million in damages it is seeking.

Its claim reportedly takes into account the aircraft’s 189-seat configuration and an estimated 24 070 passengers it says it would have carried on the affected flights.

What FlySafair alleges went wrong

The airline’s claim centres on the actions of the personnel involved in towing the Airbus after the towing equipment failed.

According to the allegations, the employee in the cockpit failed to maintain a proper lookout, remain sufficiently alert to the aircraft’s movement and respond appropriately to the tug operator’s warning.

FlySafair further alleges that the Airbus’s brakes were not applied in time to prevent the collision.

These claims form part of the airline’s case against SAA Technical and have not been established as findings of a court.

Legal proceedings

The dispute is being pursued through the Johannesburg High Court.

Reports published earlier this month indicated that SAA Technical had not yet formally responded to the claim. FlySafair has declined to comment in detail while the matter is before the courts.

The airline has also indicated that it remains open to mediation, although earlier settlement discussions reportedly failed to produce an agreement.

The court proceedings will determine whether SAA Technical is liable for the losses claimed by FlySafair.