Plane flies despite deformed hull after maintenance mishap

On April 17, the VN-A603 plane by Vietnam Airlines underwent maintenance before a flight from Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat Airport to Phu Quoc. The maintenance required the use of a forklift, according to the Civil Aviation Authority in Vietnam.

When an airport employee was driving the forklift out of the maintenance area, a part of it collided with the plane.

The collision caused the hull to be deformed, creating a sunken section that’s a centimeter deep. Cracks also appeared at certain areas.

Both the technician responsible for checking the plane’s status and the pilot failed to notice the deformation. It was only found out after a technician in Phu Quoc saw it after the plane landed safely there one hour later.

The technician responsible for the incident has had their work license revoked.

The plane has since stopped operations to have the hull fixed.