A lorry smashed into a grounded aircraft at Heathrow Airport on May 28 after the driver confused the accelerator for the brake pedal in what witnesses described as a "laughable mistake".
The collision occurred at approximately 2.54pm when the vehicle crashed into a Saudia Boeing 787-9 at Terminal Four, piercing the aircraft's body just minutes after passengers had disembarked from flight SVA105 from Jeddah.
The incident near stand 414 caused significant disruption, with the damaged aircraft grounded for an extended period and subsequent flights cancelled, leading to lengthy delays for passengers.
Baggage handlers at the scene explained that the driver was attempting to perform a standard safety protocol manoeuvre when approaching the aircraft.
A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 787 (file pic)
Getty
One handler said: "The driver must have probably been trying to perform a safety protocol manoeuvre where, when approaching the aircraft, they hit the brakes on multiple occasions.
"They have a protocol where they have to fully stop several times when moving towards the aircraft."
The handler continued: "I think he confused the accelerator for the brakes - smashing into the plane near stand 414. The damage doesn't look that big but it pierced right through the body of the aircraft, which makes it a serious incident."
Emergency services including firefighters and police responded to the scene, following standard procedure for technical incidents at the airport.
One baggage handler noted: "Fire fighters and the police came because even for a small technical error, everyone has to attend the site, so it becomes a major event."
The incident happened at Heathrow (file pic)
GettyThe investigation process required over an hour to remove the lorry from the airport, with authorities taking photographs and witness statements from all involved parties including the pilot, driver and airport staff.
The following flight from Heathrow to Jeddah was cancelled due to the aircraft damage, whilst passengers on the original SVA105 flight experienced delays collecting their baggage.
Baggage handlers described the incident as unprecedented in their experience, with one saying: "Everyone was shocked because all the work had to be stopped - it's just so stupid and ridiculous, it's almost laughable."
The handler added: "It's very rare that it happened - some of us have more than 15 years experience of baggage handling and between us we've never seen anything like it."
The aircraft is expected to remain out of service for an extended period as the damaged section must be replaced and made airtight before it can return to flight operations.
One handler suggested ABM would likely be liable for the damage caused by the collision.
GB News has approached ABM and Saudia for a comment.
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