That'll Buff Right Out

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 01/09/2015 at 10:51 • Filed to: planelopnik

0

16

This Airbus 330 was hit by a cleaning truck while parked at Charlotte on December 2 of last year. According to !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! :

An American Airlines cleaning truck #FR062 driven by a cleaning lead, entered the hard stand across from the Base maintenance hangar at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) with the intent of locating a specific aircraft (A321, N507AY) to conduct a scheduled clean.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

As was the station norm during night operations the driver angled towards the nose gear as they approached each aircraft to use the headlights to illuminate the aircraft number. After identifying N288AY, they accelerated towards the next aircraft but failed to clear the aircraft. Significant structural damage to the aircraft occurred when the right hand rail on the stationary platform cut through the aircraft fuselage aft of the radome and the box of the truck struck the radome. No employees were injured.

The jury is out as to whether this A330 is reparable. Commenters on !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! are saying that the cockpit door and main cabin door don't close properly, so the (former) maintenance guy must have whacked it pretty hard. If it fixable, it's not going to be cheap. But hey, it's only an Airbus. :D

Photos via !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 10:54

0

As someone who has hit an aircraft with a truck...

That guy/gal is FUCKED. Also, they're probably pretty sore and drained from all the blood & urine they've just "donated".

ttyymmnn > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole 01/09/2015 at 10:55

0

One of the FlightAware commenters said just that. The guy was definitely given a whiz quiz following this one. Question: if he was stoned, who pays?

Takuro Spirit > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 10:57

0

Awwww, it's so happy now!

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 10:58

0

My guess is that American's insurance will pay (since they will be the parent company once the merger is complete). I also have a feeling the driver is gonna get his pay docked.

JGrabowMSt > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 10:58

1

I saw this on the Just Rolled Into the Shop subreddit a few days ago. Somewhere in there it was estimated something like $30m to repair or something like that. Plane is over $300m new if I'm remembering that correctly.

thebigbossyboss > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole 01/09/2015 at 10:59

0

How much drivers pay do you dock for writing off a $30M plane?

ttyymmnn > Takuro Spirit 01/09/2015 at 10:59

0

I think that's really a grimace of pain.

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > thebigbossyboss 01/09/2015 at 11:03

0

All of it, I would assume. I mean, he's never going to be able to pay it back, but I'm sure he won't be getting that last paycheck or a reference.

thebigbossyboss > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole 01/09/2015 at 11:07

0

Yeah it almost seems a bit pointless. An average person will not have $30M earnings over the course of their lifetime. This guy obviously has already lived some of his working life (I assume 16 year olds aren't aircraft maintenance workers) so he has even less earnings ahead of him.

Jeff-God-of-Biscuits > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 11:09

1

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 11:12

5

#1minuteMSPaintChop

wabbalosthiskey > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 11:18

0

Really? Not sure if we can fix that one, should probably just scrap it and start over... You sure that makes the most sense? Drr..

ttyymmnn > Jeff-God-of-Biscuits 01/09/2015 at 11:26

1

Over on that FlightAware forum I linked to, they made the exact same joke. And somebody didn't get it.

ttyymmnn > wabbalosthiskey 01/09/2015 at 11:27

0

Well, if the frame is bent, and you can't pressurize it any more, then it will be a write off.

wabbalosthiskey > ttyymmnn 01/09/2015 at 11:28

0

Is there not some sort of way to check or fix this though? You'd think even if the nose was twisted you could chop it off and fix it and not scrap the entire thing

ttyymmnn > wabbalosthiskey 01/09/2015 at 11:40

0

No idea. Maybe f86sabre will chime in. He does this sort of thing for a living.