Ground collisions (GCOL)

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Collisions while taxiing to or from a runway (GCOL) 2023

In 2023, two GCOL cases were reported, meaning situations where a collision occurred while an aircraft was taxiing or air-taxiing. The number was slightly below the average for 2013-2022 (2.9) and clearly lower than in a few previous years. 

One situation that occurred in helicopter operations during the first part of the year was classified as a serious incident, when a helicopter started to slide forward on an icy road in connection with takeoff and its blades hit tree branches.

Types of incidents that contribute to GCOL situations

Situations to be monitored that may contribute to GCOL situations include aircraft pushback or taxiing interference, insufficient apron supervision, damage incurred during ground handling, foreign object debris (FOD) at the manoeuvring area and apron. Also reports on the poor condition of the apron and taxiways are monitored.

Out of the types of cases mentioned above, reports related to insufficient apron supervision and reports on the condition of the apron and taxiways were above the average in 2023. 

Insufficient apron supervision involves e.g. cases where passengers were able to move outside the determined areas or without necessary supervision. Here the risks include injuries to passengers, although we have luckily been able to avoid such situations. 

The number of such cases was clearly higher than average in 2023. 80% of them occurred at Helsinki Airport. In October in particular, a large number of cases related to insufficient supervision were reported at Helsinki Airport. The numbers decreased to the normal level in November-December. 

The increased number of reports in October was related to the serious incident which occurred in August. 
In the serious incident, a child passenger nearly hit the rotating propeller of an aircraft. The child passenger was walking towards an aircraft parked at an apron stand, but started running after a fallen hat and nearly collided with the rotating propeller of another plane that was just arriving to the adjacent stand. A ground handling company employee noticed the dangerous situation and managed to prevent any more severe consequences.
After the incident, the methods of supervising the aprons were changed to prevent similar situations. The implementation of these new procedures triggered an increase in the number of reports related to apron supervision.

The number of reports on the condition of the apron and taxiways was clearly above the average during the year. However, they clearly decreased compared to the numbers of the previous year. 
The reports most commonly involved slipperiness of the apron and taxiways of the airport, and therefore the numbers outside the winter season remained low. Most of the cases were reported in January-February and November-December. The largest share of the cases was reported from Helsinki Airport. 

Slippery apron areas naturally hinder the movement of aircraft and increase the risk of collision. Slippery paths for passengers may also increase the risk of slipping. Already at the start of 2022, Traficom made note of the large number of reports on slippery conditions and requested Helsinki Airport to clarify the factors leading to the reports and planned corrective measures.