Air accident investigation highlights lack of wing walkers in Heathrow collision

At Stand 323 where the Boeing 787 was parked with one crew member and no passengers, and Stand 325 where the Airbus A350 had 14 crew members and 107 passengers onboard, a tug driver and other personnel conducted the pushback operation. The absence of mandated wing walkers for operations from Stand 323 meant compliance with airport standards was met.

Following this incident, safety measures were implemented by both airline and airport operators. Virgin Atlantic launched its own investigation under its Safety Management System provisions due to passengers being onboard during this reportable incident.

The early turn into taxiway caused equipment obstruction in cross-hatched areas between stands necessitating temporary halting of pushback operations until cleared. Resuming without identifying collision risks led to contact shortly after restart despite air traffic control intervention.

Virgin Atlantic introduced mandatory wing walker requirements in 2021; however, they were not adhered to during this event as their ground handling agent failed to follow these protocols. Consequently, safety alerts emphasizing this requirement have been issued alongside airport operator considerations for visibility-obscured maneuvers requiring similar precautions.

Both damaged aircraft have returned to service post-repair with their respective operators: G-XWBC recently operated flights to Nairobi among others while G-VDIA serviced routes including San Francisco.