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A LORRY HAS SMASHED INTO THE BODY OF A GROUNDED PLANE AT HEATHROW AIRPORT, WITH BAGGAGE HANDLERS CLAIMING THE DRIVER CONFUSED THE ACCELERATOR FOR THE BRAKE JOSEPH GAMP Assistant News Editor
18:19, 30 May 2025Updated 18:42, 30 May 2025 A lorry crashed into a plane this week at Heathrow airport. On Wednesday, at approximately 2:54 pm, a driver lost control of a lorry, which
subsequently crashed into a stationary plane at Heathrow Airport. The collision, which involved a Saudia Boeing 787-9, was reportedly caused by the driver mistakenly pressing the accelerator
instead of the brake. The accident occurred mere minutes after passengers on the SVA105 flight from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, had disembarked at Terminal
4. Baggage handlers present at the scene recounted that the driver likely got the pedals mixed up while attempting a standard safety manoeuvre, where the driver hits the brakes multiple
times when approaching the aircraft. One handler explained: "The driver must have probably been trying to perform a safety protocol manoeuvre where, when approaching the aircraft, they
hit the brakes on multiple occasions. They have a protocol where they have to fully stop several times when moving towards the aircraft. I think he confused the accelerator for the brakes -
smashing into the plane near stand 414." Although the damage appears minor, the impact pierced the aircraft's body, rendering it a serious incident. The handler continued:
"The damage doesn't look that big but it pierced right through the body of the aircraft, which makes it a serious incident." Emergency services, including firefighters and
police, responded to the scene, as is standard procedure for even minor technical errors. The handler noted: "Fire fighters and the police came because even for a small technical error,
everyone has to attend the site, so it becomes a major event.", reports the Mirror. The aircraft is expected to be out of commission for an extended period, as the damaged section must
be replaced and ensured to be airtight before it can fly again. A subsequent flight from Heathrow to Jeddah was scrapped due to the damage, causing baggage reclaim delays for passengers on
the original flight. The baggage handler remarked: "I don't know what the damage is like within, but I presume ABM will be liable for the damage. "As the lorry was inching
closer, instead of doing a brake check, it just accelerated forwards into the plane. "Everyone was shocked because all the work had to be stopped - it's just so stupid and
ridiculous, it's almost laughable. "I think it took over an hour to remove the lorry from the airport. They have to take pictures and take down witness reports from everyone
involved like the pilot, the driver and the airport staff. "It's very rare that it happened - some of us have more than 15 years experience of baggage handling and between us
we've never seen anything like it." Article continues below The Daily Star has made efforts to contact both ABM and Saudia.