The British Airways flight to London was taxiing at OR Tambo International Airport when its right wing hit the building, injuring four people inside.
South Africa’s Civil Aviation Authority said the aircraft had traveled down a taxi-way that was too narrow for it. The incident involving the Boeing 747-400 happened late on Sunday.
The control tower “told them to take one taxi-way and they took another one. They took a wrong one,” said CAA spokeswoman Phindiwe Gwebu.
Passenger John Hart told the BBC: “We were just taxiing along and then boom!”
He said the captain described it as a “little incident” but everyone on the right-hand side of the plane could see what had really happened.
None of those on board was injured but four ground staff in the building were hurt.
“They sustained slight injuries and are fine,” a spokesperson for Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) told Eyewitness News.
Mr Hart said the passengers were allowed to leave the plane after about an hour but because of the fuel spillage they had still not been able to reclaim their luggage.
The aircraft has since been moved and operations have not been disrupted, ACSA says. An investigation is under way.
Source.BBC News Africa
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