A Canadian Airbus CC-150 Polaris collided with a French Airbus A400M Atlas at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on July 22, 2023, leaving visible damage to the two planes' tails. (Royal Canadian Air Force)
A “partially secured” Canadian airlifter caused significant damage to itself and a French aircraft at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam this summer, a Canadian investigation revealed last week.
The two military transport planes, a Canadian Airbus CC-150 Polaris and a French Airbus A400M Atlas, were parked July 22 on an Andersen airstrip when the Canadian plane rolled backwards and the two planes’ tails collided, according to a Sept. 7 report from the Canadian air force.
The investigation revealed no technical issues with the aircraft and is now “focusing on procedures, communications and human factors.” Both aircraft sustained “serious damage,” but no one was injured, the report states.
The Canadian aircraft’s crew “partially secured” the plane but failed to place parking chocks on its landing gear, according to the investigation.
A Canadian Airbus CC-150 Polaris collided with a French Airbus A400M Atlas at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on July 22, 2023. (Royal Canadian Air Force)
The plane was carrying equipment and personnel following the conclusion of Exercise Mobility Guardian and arrived July 21 at Andersen from Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Once landed, the aircraft taxied to park next to the French aircraft.
Around 10:30 a.m. the next day, the Polaris, still loaded but with no crew on board, rolled backwards until the right horizontal and vertical stabilizers on its tail collided with the tail of the French aircraft. After impact the Polaris rebounded and came to stop about 26 feet from the initial point of contact.
A similar incident occurred at a Canadian air force base in October 2019, when a Polaris collided with an aircraft tow tractor. In that instance, the aircraft was parked in front of a hangar at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario when it began to move and collided with the tractor.
The aircraft sustained serious damage to its right engine; the force of impact caused one minor injury, according to a June 2020 investigation.
The crew had set the parking brake and placed chocks, and the investigation “could not positively determine” why the parking brake didn’t hold the aircraft in position. The investigation found that the chocks used were not the appropriate type, and not all wheels were chocked.
The investigation cited “informal” brakeman training and a lack of emergency procedures as factors in the incident.
