Ouch: Thai Airways A330 Rips Off Tail Of Private Jet

A Thai Airways Airbus A330-300 jet ripped off the tail of a Gulfstream IV jet in Laos, rendering both aircraft unserviceable.

The accident occurred yesterday as TG575 was preparing to depart from Vientiane (VTE) to Bangkok (BKK). During initial taxi from the gate, the left wing clipped the Gulfstream IV. While the Thai A330 suffered only minor damage to the leading edge of the wing, the Gulfstream IV will require extensive repairs and a thorough inspection to check for more latent damage. No injuries were reported for the 79 passenger and 13 crew members onboard TG575. The flight was cancelled and passengers were transported back to Bangkok on a Thai Smiles flight this morning. The private jet was unoccupied.

Check out these pictures via JacdecNew on Twitter:

Per Flight Global, the A330-300 was delivered to Thai in March 2010 and entered service in June 2011. Meanwhile, the Gulfstream IV is 18 years old and managed by Blue Sky Leasing, who acquired the aircraft in 2010 from tobacco-maker Phillip Morris in 2010.

It’s not clear whether pilot error or ground staff are to blame for the mishap.

CONCLUSION

Can you imagine parking your jet at an airport, coming back the next day, and finding the tail resting on the right horizontal stabilizer? Thankfully, no one was hurt.