Air traffic controllers have been forced to change instructions to pilots after confusion led to two planes colliding while taxiing on to a runway in 2008.
According to the BBC, the pilot of the Boeing 737 involved in the accident, who drove this plane in to the tail of a passing plane, stated that he found the words “give way” confused him.
Following a report by the Air Accident Investigations Branch, Manchester Airport opted to withdraw the term from use to avoid any further confusion occurring.
Pilots are now instead told to “hold position”.
It appears that the pilot of the Boeing 737 believed that he was to give way to oncoming traffic but the crew believed that there were no obstacles in the way and that the pilot had room to get past the other plane, an A320 Lufthansa Airbus.
The circumstances mirror those which occurred at the same airport in 2007, when a Boeing 777 struck the rudder of a Q400 aircraft as it passed behind it. Here, the Boeing 777 crew were told of the presence of another aircraft in the area but the pilot believed there was enough room to proceed on, and expected to receive a further warning if there was a problem.
It is surprising that a term such as “give way” should be met with such confusion and it seems from the accident circumstances that it was more a case of the pilot failing to judge the speed and size of the other plane in the area. However, I suppose that the advice to “hold position” implies that the pilot should remain stationary until receiving further instruction, whereas the phrase “give way” implies that the pilot should use their own judgement as to when it is safe to move. I would imagine if I had wings on my car I’d find it a bit more difficult to judge whether I could get through a gap so if moving away from that phrase leads to a reduced chance of a crash occurring then it is undoubtedly the right move.
