Czech investigators have concluded that an SN Brussels Airlines crew mistakenly accepting a take-off clearance intended for another aircraft caused a potentially serious runway incursion at Prague Ruzyne Airport earlier this year.
SN Brussels flight DAT67N, operated by a BAE Systems Avro RJ85, had been cleared to enter Prague’s runway 24 and hold. The clearance came just over a minute after a similar clearance had been given to a Cessna 501 Citation business jet, operated by Austria’s Goldeck-Flug, for runway 31.
Although the aircraft were on different runways, the two intersect at the end of runway 31.
Prague tower controllers issued take-off clearance to the Cessna, but it was the RJ85 crew who confirmed the clearance about 10s later and began their take-off roll.
No communication was received from the Cessna until 19s after the initial permission, at which point the aircraft called the tower to request confirmation for take-off. The business jet was already accelerating along the runway when the tower confirmed the clearance.
Tower controllers, realising the potential danger of the developing situation, ordered the RJ85 to abort its take-off, 36s after the crew wrongly accepted the take-off clearance.
The Czech air accidents investigation institute says: “Poor response of the [RJ85] crew was the reason for this incident.”
Source: Flight International
