Two pilot crews suspended from flying after plane collision at Noi Bai

On June 28, Vietnam Airlines leaders said the suspension of four pilots on Boeing 787 and Airbus 321 aircraft will begin on the afternoon of June 27 until the airline has a conclusion on the incident.

Vietnam Airlines has set up an independent investigation team to find out and evaluate the cause of the incident, in parallel with the investigation team to determine the cause of the incident by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. The airline is also coordinating with aviation authorities to clarify the incident.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam assessed the collision of two planes as a serious incident of level B (ranked 2nd out of 5 aviation safety levels), causing serious safety loss leading to temporary closure of runways, taxiways, or temporary closure of airports.

Collisions between two planes have occurred at a number of airports, with varying degrees of damage. The cause could be due to errors from the pilot flying the plane or the air traffic controller guiding the pilot.

At 2:00 p.m. on June 27, a Boeing 787 taxied onto the runway to prepare for takeoff to Ho Chi Minh City. When it reached the intersection of taxiways S3 and S, the Boeing 787 hit the vertical tail of an Airbus 321 waiting to take off to Dien Bien.

As a result, the Boeing suffered damage to the right wing tip, and the Airbus suffered a torn vertical wing. Both planes had to stop operating for technical inspection. Vietnam Airlines arranged for more than 380 passengers to transfer to an alternative plane to continue their journey.

According to the Northern Airport Authority, initial records show that the Airbus preparing to depart for Dien Bien did not park at the correct waiting stop on taxiway S3.