NYC airport collision shows risks of huge planes

[marmar]

NEW YORK (AP) – A frightening collision between one of the world's largest airliners and a commuter jet on a dark, wet tarmac at Kennedy Airport is underscoring worries about ground accidents as U.S. airports begin handling a new generation of giant planes.

A total of 586 passengers and crew members were aboard the two aircraft Monday night when the left wing of an Airbus A380 operated by Air France clipped a Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jet flown by Comair, spinning the smaller plane nearly 90 degrees. No one was injured.

The superjumbo Airbus is so immense — as tall as a seven-story building, with a wing span as wide as a Manhattan block — that its wing almost cleared the smaller plane. But not quite.

"It's the sheer size of these aircraft and the congestion at these airports that's the problem," said Allan Tamm, a consultant with Avicor Aviation, based in Portland, Ore. "It's a serious concern for all these airports trying to accommodate these aircraft. It's going to happen more and more." ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110412/ap_on_re_us/us_jfk_airport_plane_mishap

[bullwinkle428]

1. That was a really scary looking incident - I sure would have been

freaked out if I were on that commuter jet!

[charlie and algernon]

3. yeah. that commuter plane was turned around like it was a toy

when I first saw that video, I thought it was a tiny private jet. The Airbus looks THAT much bigger.

Would've freaked me the hell out too.

[Possumpoint]

2. Oh?

Or was it that JFK was given a pass on the recommend increase to 100' from their 75' taxiways? Or maybe it was that the commuter jet stopped short to avoid a PU going by on a service roadway. Everything has to be considered.

[meegbear]

4. +1

[marmar]

5. I think the article more or less agrees with you.

nt

[MineralMan]

6. I think that's way overstating the issue.

If it were a big problem, we wouldn't be talking about this isolated incident. Analyzing why this particular incident happened will result in changes in how ground traffic is handled. Problem solved, if there's really a problem.

We're too prone to take every isolated incident and expand it into a huge, widespread problem. This happened. Now they figure out how to keep it from happening again.

[backscatter712]

7. Glad nobody was hurt in this one.

It could have been far worse.

Of course, the planes are going to need a pile of expensive repairs, and there's a need for some new safety procedures for taxiing the really big aircraft like the A380.

[Travis_0004]

8. Did the pilots have to get out and exchange insurance information? N/T

[backscatter712]

10. Yeah, and they have to get the traffic cop to file a police report... n/t

[mn9driver]

9. JFK has been a mess for years

The only reason this is big news is because it was an A380 and there is great video of it. Low speed ground collisions like this happen from time to time, usually resulting only in bent metal and a big repair bill.Most of the time they don't even make the local news.

JFK is one of the strangest airports to taxi around that I've ever worked at. It's poorly lit, the taxiway designators are cryptic and half the time you aren't sure where you are until you see the next painted letter on the asphalt. There is also a lot of construction going on there right now, which makes it even more challenging.