Airbus A330 D-AIKE
10 August 2012 · Dulles, Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 August 2012 at about 19:15 local time, a Airbus A330 registered D-AIKE, operated by Lufthansa, was involved in an accident near Dulles, Virginia, United States. 272 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Dulles, Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Washington Dulles Internationa (IAD)
- Coordinates
- 38.9475, -77.4500
- Aircraft
- Airbus A330
- Registration
- D-AIKE
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Lufthansa
- Operating rule
- Part 129: Foreign
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Dulles → Frankfurt
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA12CA122
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 272 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 272 |
Probable cause
the A330 flight crew's failure to maintain a safe clearance to the DHC-8 that was stopped in front of the gate.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
On August 10, 2012, at about 3:15 PM EDT, Lufthansa flight 417, an Airbus A330, D-AIKE, collided with Colgan Air flight 3912, d.b.a. United Express, a Bombardier DHC-8-400, N341NG, while the Airbus was taxiing for takeoff at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Dulles, Virginia. At the time of the accident, the DHC-8 was stopped and waiting for ramp workers to assist with parking at gate A1C. There were no injuries to any of the passengers or crewmembers on either airplane. The DHC-8 received substantial damage to its rudder and vertical stabilizer and the Airbus sustained minor damage to its right wingtip. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The DHC-8 landed on runway 19C at IAD and proceeded on taxiway (TWY) A after exiting the runway. After arriving in the ramp area, ramp control cleared the flight to proceed to gate of A1C via TWY A5, which required crossing TWY B. The captain stopped the aircraft short of the gate on the lead in line and set the parking brake because there were no ramp workers present to marshal the airplane in. The A330 was pushed back from gate B49 and cleared to taxi towards TWY J via TWY B and to "hold short of A5." Prior to reaching A5, the flight was cleared to proceed to TWY J. Shortly after this, the captain saw the DHC-8 stopped near the gate and reduced taxi speed and asked the first officer if there was sufficient space on the right side for the A330 to pass. The first officer replied that the DHC-8 appeared to be at its proper parking space and that there was enough room. As the A330 taxied past, its winglet struck the DCH-8 rudder and vertical stabilizer. The A330 crew stated they never received any notification from ground control or ramp control that the DCH-8 was obstructing the taxiway or not in its parking position.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A330 343 | D-AIKE | Lufthansa | Minor |
| Bombardier DHC-8-402 | N341NG | Colgan Air Inc | Substantial |
Other Airbus A330 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 2012 | Airbus A330-323 | Sophia, North Carolina, United States | US Airways Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Dec 2012 | Airbus A330 | Phuket, Thailand | Air Berlin | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 2012 | Airbus A330 | Paris, France, France | TAM Linhas Aereas | Unknown | - |
| 25 Apr 2011 | Airbus A330-323 | New York, New York, United States | Delta Airlines, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 2013 | Airbus A330-203 | Fortaleza, Brazil | Tam-Linhas Aereas S A | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 2013 | Airbus A330-302 | Caines, Australia, Australia | China Airlines | Unknown | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jun 2012 | Pittman Eddie G CGS HAWK ARROW II | Monroe, Virginia, United States | John Rasmus | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Feb 2012 | Cessna 172N | Flat Rock, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 2012 | Beechcraft C90A | Roanoke, Virginia, United States | Dominion Aviation Services Inc | No injuries | - |
| 23 Nov 2012 | Radley Vincent QUICKSILVER SPORT 2S | King George, Virginia, United States | Radley Vincent | Serious injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 2012 | Cessna 150M | Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States | Hockaday Donald R | Fatal | 2 |
| 3 Mar 2012 | Mooney M20M | Amisville, Virginia, United States | Charles Crathern | Serious injuries | - |