Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Sterling Airlines Boeing 737 ends up on its tail at Málaga

A strange incident in Spain turned a Boeing 737 aircraft into a tail dragger several days ago. The aircraft, operated by Copenhagen-based Sterling Airlines A/S, ended up perched on its tail on the ramp at Málaga, Spain after an unusual encounter with a jetbridge. The incident occurred on July 20, 2008, shortly after the aircraft arrived at Málaga. Details of exactly what happened are sketchy, but several news reports, including one on the Spanish language website 20minutos.es, say that after the jetbridge was attached to the aircraft at the gate, it somehow managed to lift the forward section of the aircraft completely off the ground, leaving it balanced on its tail. No one was injured, and passengers deplaned through an aft door. An investigation is underway to determine if the cause was human error or some mechanical fault.

Here is a YouTube video showing the precariously perched B737 on the ramp at Málaga:



(If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.)