Distracted crew caused SAA plane to hit FlySafair jet. Now it's R21m

A distracted towing crew and poor communication caused an SAA plane to hit a parked FlySafair Boeing at OR Tambo International Airport, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has told Parliament. The finding comes from SAA Technical's own safety investigation, and FlySafair's owner Safair is now suing SAA Technical for about R21.1 million. (PMG)

What happened at OR Tambo?

On 11 November 2022, a South African Airways Airbus A320 (registration ZS-SZJ) was being towed by SAA Technical when it hit a parked Safair Boeing 737-800 (ZS-SJH). The Airbus damaged its wing tip and the Boeing took significant damage to its tail section. Both planes were taken out of service. (PMG)

No passengers were on board either aircraft at the time. (News24)

While its Boeing was being repaired, Safair flew an older Boeing 737-400 in its place. (PMG)

Why did the planes collide?

SAA Technical's safety department issued its investigation report on 15 November 2022, four days after the incident. According to Creecy's written reply, it found two root causes: staff were doing unrelated tasks while the aircraft was under tow, and communication between the tug driver and the engineer on board was inadequate. (PMG)

The reply was published on 22 October 2026 in answer to questions from MK Party MP Adil Nchabeleng. (PMG, News24)

How much is Safair claiming?

Safair first claimed two amounts from SAA Technical, according to the minister's reply:

Source: Minister of Transport reply, PMG

News24 reports the original claim came to more than R60 million before Safair revised it to just over R20 million. Nchabeleng's question puts the current claim at R21.1 million. (News24, PMG)

The claim has not been decided. Creecy said SAA Technical's insurers are handling it with their lawyers, Clyde & Co, who are defending the matter. (PMG)

What happened to the staff involved?

The tug driver and engineer were formally reprimanded and sent for human factors refresher training focused on managing distractions and communicating clearly. All maintenance staff involved in towing were also retrained on the risks of multitasking. (PMG)

What has SAA Technical changed since?

The minister listed these changes to towing at SAA Technical (PMG):

• Technical logbooks are no longer allowed in the flight deck while a plane is under tow, and the flight deck door must stay closed.
• Tug drivers and on-board engineers must use a two-way radio system for every tow.
• The departure desk and team leaders must confirm with the responsible engineer that a plane is ready before a tug is sent.
• Workloads and cut-off times were reviewed so staff aren't juggling other jobs during a tow.

The incident is now a case study in SAA Technical's human factors training.

Could taxpayers end up paying?

SAA Technical is a state-owned company. Nchabeleng asked whether it or another state entity could carry the damages and legal costs if Safair wins. Creecy's reply did not answer that directly, saying only that the insurers are managing the claim. (PMG)