A China Airlines Airbus A350-941 aircraft -(B-18902, MSN 57) received major damage to the passenger door after it rolled backwards while in contact with the Aerobridge at Melbourne Airport (MEL), Australia few hours ago.

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No-Sherbert-9589@reddit

Oops. Someone is going to have a hard time explaining that one.

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Yugan-Dali@reddit

“It got away from me, boss!”

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Big_Breadfruit_626@reddit

This aircraft was being towed to a parking bay after disembarkation due to long layover, no passengers or crew were on board, only maintenance personnel and possibly cleaners.

Reports are: tow truck was connected with bridge still on, aircraft parking brake was off when rampies removed all chocks while bridge still attached… plane maybe rolled back or tow truck brakes maybe not parked?

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Optimal-Leather341@reddit

Fuck. Has this happened on an A350 before?

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UnEasY792@reddit

I don't think there is another similar case on the A350. It's probably the first one.

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Optimal-Leather341@reddit

Suppose that means Toulouse might be just as involved in a repair as they were with those Swiss Neos that got repaired last year.

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Big_Breadfruit_626@reddit

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PestoBolloElemento@reddit

The bridge is damaged aswell wow.

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oh-pointy-bird@reddit

Ouch.

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Herbert987654321@reddit

Some crew will release the park brake after shutdown to assist with brake cooling . This is done after you are advised that chocks are in . I never release the park brake . Case in point .

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MarkSalt4250@reddit

How did it roll backwards after the jetbridge had been connected?

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CPD1960@reddit

Ground crew failed to put the chocks under the wheels (look the word up if you are not familiar).

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CptClownfish1@reddit

Don’t patronise me - of course I’ve heard of these “wheels” you speak of.

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BatmaniaRanger@reddit

Jeez. What a wanker.

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CptClownfish1@reddit

BLOCKED! (But it’ll say to you that I just deleted my comment).

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Jazzlike_Climate4189@reddit

They didn’t delete their comment, I think they just blocked you. It’s still visible for everyone else.

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CptClownfish1@reddit

Ha funny. I didn’t know Reddit did that. I assumed they must’ve felt too ashamed!

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84Cressida@reddit

They blocked you

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Melech333@reddit

Looked up what a wheel is and now I'm confused. 🤔

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buldozr@reddit

It's the greatest invention aerospace has ever known.

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fivefivedavid@reddit

Ha of course I know what failed what means!

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MarkSalt4250@reddit

Wow thats a major mistake.

I think it is the first thing they are supposed to put when an aircraft arrives

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Mekanikel@reddit

Jet bridge operator gets a thumbs up from Ramp when it's safe to connect the aerobridge to aircraft. Chocks is part of the check procedure. Can't see how this happened?!

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FlawedController@reddit

Not every airline does thumbs up

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DrSendy@reddit

From memory, Swissport runs ramp ops for international in Melbourne.

(The airport tends to provide the ramp staff, baggage staff and catering in Australia and just charges a fee schedule).

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HailStorm_Zero_Two@reddit

Your memory is very wrong.

There is literally dnata equipment on that gate in the video. Swissport is one of the operators there, but it's the smallest on the field.

All three operators (dnata, Menzies, and Swissport) are completely independent of YMML Airport and compete for contracts.

Besides the independents, they also have Qantas and Virgin Australia in-house crews.

Source: worked for two of these companies AT this port.

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Mekanikel@reddit

Photo below shows Menzies equipment in use. The Dnata equipment is likely in a Ramp storage area.

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DarkriderUWC@reddit

Ramp and baggage staff are provided by the contracted GHA or Ground Handling Agent, not the airport itself. And international in MEL is run by a mix of dnata, Menzies or Swissport depending on the carrier.

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BeenCaughtSneezing@reddit

In Australia it's thumbs 👎

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DarkriderUWC@reddit

Got nothing to do with the airline. This will be a GHA procedure that got missed.

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Mekanikel@reddit

Yes, but this is not a common accident, so a key procedure was missed, thumbs up or not.

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fernst@reddit

in Australia, they do thumbs down

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Rotor-Boy@reddit

No they dont

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grackychan@reddit

Are the chalks aladeen or are they aladeen?

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Badrear@reddit

Proper chocking is harder than people think, if they think about it. You can’t put the chocks right up against the tires because the plane is much lighter than it will be when it goes out, so the tires can wind up pressing down on the chocks when it gets reloaded. You also can’t put the chocks too far away from the tires because it only takes a little momentum and/or a slightly angled chock to allow the plane to just push the chock out of the way.

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conaan@reddit

I'm sure a rampy can weigh in, but every chock I've ever put in just needed a swift kick to release it after fueling and loading is done

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Badrear@reddit

That’s usually all that’s needed(sometimes hitting the chock with another chock works too), but I remember one time mechanics had to put a jack under the wheel just to take some of the load off. Thinking back, I actually wonder if the pressure might’ve been a little low.

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SuperBurrito1421@reddit

When there is a chock that can’t be taken off with a kick or another chock (hammering it out) usually we wait till time of pushback. Move forward or back a little, to remove the chocks. Never have I heard of this in my decade of working ramp. It’s interesting, nevertheless.

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Badrear@reddit

This was 20+ years ago, and it may not have been the best idea, but it worked. I don’t remember if we tried using the pushback to wiggle them loose, but I do remember that we had to be really gentle with our towbars because some of the sheer pins would break pretty easily.

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SoulOfTheDragon@reddit

Not rampy, ex mechanic. Similar experience.

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IC_1318@reddit

Not only that, but the chocks are typically put on the front gear and at least one of the main gear wheels too. So it's a double mistake.

And the jetbridge operator isn't supposed to connect the jetbridge until the chocks are on too.

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ButtcheeksMalone@reddit

We don’t call them chocks any more. It’s racist.

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aviation-ModTeam@reddit

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FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit

Lack of correct chocking and/or parking brake not set.

I would be surprised if the parking brake didn't hold for the typical length of time at a gate, with or without chocks.

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Loose-Opposite7820@reddit

Isn't the ground level? Is there something else at play?

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FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit

Ramps/aprons are not always level. There are various reasons, including drainage and local geography.

For example, you tend to want the ramp to slope away from the building so that (a) water doesn't pool near the building and freeze and (b) any flammable liquid spills don't pool near the buildings and ignite or burn.

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Loose-Opposite7820@reddit

TIL. Thank you.

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DrSendy@reddit

Rampy: "You bought the chocks"
Other Rampy: "Yep! Do you want milk or dark?"

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PilgrimOz@reddit

45mins beforehand in the staff carpark “Holyshitballs, is this the original Skunk from the 90’s?”

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Corin-Ash@reddit

"Parking brake not set" on a widebody at a gate is the kind of line that sounds simple until you think about what's attached to the front of the plane at that moment.

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JujinVale@reddit

A damaged door is bad enough, but if the surrounding structure took a hit too, that inspection is gonna get painful quick

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FelisCantabrigiensis@reddit

Yeah, that's a complex piece of structure. That's also why a hit from the airbridge on the fuselage in that area can ground an aircraft for a long time (even if it misses the door).

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Optimal-Leather341@reddit

This being a composite structure, they're really going to be looking at it hard.

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EasyAsAyeBeeSea@reddit

Granny shiftin' not double clutchin' like you should

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Ataneruo@reddit

r/unexpectedthefastandthefurious

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Dissappointing_salad@reddit

At least the front didn't fall off.

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DivHunter_@reddit

Let's look at the positives, the front didn't fall off.

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Neither_Row_4591@reddit

You know what DNATA stands for... do nothing at the airport - including placing chocks it seems

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Mekanikel@reddit

It was Menzies, not Dnata.

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IncognitoBrowser13@reddit

Although funny, I think it was Menzies looking at the other photos

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Neither_Row_4591@reddit

Fair enough but Mishandled Everything, Nothing Zips, It’s Eternally Stuck doesn't have the same ring to it

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HailStorm_Zero_Two@reddit

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mrafinch@reddit

We aim to please!

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Big_Breadfruit_626@reddit

Menzies is handler for CI in MEL!

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bonfraier@reddit

> do nothing at the airport

LMAO so true

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Shomval@reddit

Tfw you forget the clutch

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AcrobaticHunt102@reddit

Yes

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Professional_Roof150@reddit

Haaa should have gone local

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TurbinePro@reddit

Poor bird

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Myfooty94@reddit

This isn't the first time this has happened in Melbourne. There was a Singapore Airlines plane that suffered from a broken jet bridge way back in 2001.

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Mediocre-Catch9580@reddit

Put some Flex Tape on it and call it good

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meowthesnail@reddit

As a Taiwanese, why is it always China Airlines.

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BenjaminKohl@reddit

Unfortunately weirdly common, luckily a repair that is well known

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bavotto@reddit

So will China Airlines need to bring their own team plus equipment plus new door to Melbourne to fix this, as it seems that none of the major Australian airlines use A350s as yet until Qantas get theirs later on.

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doxcyn@reddit

Just fly the plane back to China with the door open WCGW

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Easy_Money_@reddit

Well, it needs to go to Taiwan, for one

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doxcyn@reddit

Whose official name is the Republic of China

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Easy_Money_@reddit

You got me there

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BenjaminKohl@reddit

Likely, though some MX facilities at MEL may already have the work provisions and be able to do it with just shopping in some parts from a supplier or CI themselves

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Yuukiko_@reddit

I don't suppose the cockpit door is airtight or that they can just fly under 10000' with oxygen?

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A_storia@reddit

Possibly, or an Airbus AOG team

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DigitraxDad@reddit

She’ll be right mate!

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eternal_syrup@reddit

Well that’s not on the checklist.

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Vast_Vegetable9222@reddit

Oopsie!

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jestate@reddit

A family friend of mine had a company that worked on the electric controls for the airbridges at MEL back in the late 90s. Someone on his team had wired something up the wrong way round and it had escaped testing. With the aircraft door open into the jet bridge, the bridge lifted up and picked up the nose of the Qantas 737, rotating on the main gear.

My friend (who lived in Brisbane) got a very angry call from Qantas ops demanding he get to BNE immediately and they'd hold a flight for him to get to Melbourne urgently to sort out the aftermath.

One of his more stressful days at the office.

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KirenSensei@reddit

To put it into perspective, you could buy a VERRRYYYYYY nice house and it would still be cheaper than that door 😂. Somebody getting fired big time.

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Nihilus45@reddit

Just put some plastic sheets over it and it should be fine

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yahyoh@reddit

speedtape can fix everything.

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ywgflyer@reddit

This is why my company's SOP is to leave the brakes set at all times while parked, we don't take the brakes off and let it sit on the chocks, ever.

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SpineSpinner@reddit

AOG?

AOG.

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PieceChoice@reddit

Brakes Hot…..Park Brake prefer chocks….Airbus.

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Dissappointing_salad@reddit

At least the front didn't fall off.

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whatever--idk@reddit

God damn Asian drivers /j

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bonzothebonanza@reddit

Someone gonna get fired

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Pristine_Barber976@reddit

Minus one million social credits

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sirikiller@reddit

wrong china

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Pristine_Barber976@reddit

Huh why would Taiwan have an airline called China airlines...

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pemb@reddit

As far as the Republic of China (aka Taiwan) is concerned, they are the real China, and the PRC are some pesky rebels.

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Pristine_Barber976@reddit

I see, thanks

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Corntal@reddit

Taiwan is officially the Republic of China.

China Airlines is the flag carrier of the ROC.

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Awesome_coder1203@reddit

Even it was the to gb t China still wouldn’t be true

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Equivalent-Bonus-885@reddit

Not in Australia. They will blame inadequate training and processes.

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bonfraier@reddit

Why would you fire somebody that just learned a valuable lesson - don't let the aircraft roll

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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Asystole@reddit

paging r/jetbridgegap

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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AutoModerator@reddit

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oncledangereux@reddit

Shit takes place.

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1Crownedngroovd@reddit

The procedure can vary, but at the operations where I worked, setting the brakes is part of the shutdown procedure/checklist at the gate. Once chocks are in place, a ground guy will signal the captain. Only then are the brakes released. They are generally kept off for cooling and hydraulic system pressure relief.

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IATA	ICAO	Name	Location
MEL	YMML	Melbourne International Airport	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
MSN	KMSN	Dane County Regional Truax Field	Madison, Wisconsin, United States
TPE	RCTP	Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport	Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan

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