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AAIA publishes investigation report on serious incident of aircraft aborted take-off on engaged runway
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     The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) today (June 29) published the investigation report (3/2022) on the investigation into a serious incident of aborted take-off on an engaged runway that involved an Airbus A330-343 passenger aircraft (registration mark B-LNU) operated by Hong Kong Airlines Limited, and a Boeing 747-867F freighter (registration mark B-LJK) operated by Cathay Pacific Airways Limited, at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) on December 23, 2017.

     At 9.07pm, the passenger aircraft, given take-off clearance by Air Traffic Control (ATC), commenced take-off roll on the South Runway of HKIA while the freighter was crossing at the far end of the same runway in accordance with ATC instruction. The flight crew of the freighter immediately informed ATC that the freighter was still crossing the runway. The flight crew of the passenger aircraft noticed the transmission and immediately aborted the take-off. ATC also instructed the passenger aircraft to stop immediately. The closest distance between the two aircraft was in excess of 3 000 metres. There was no damage to the aircraft and no one was injured. The occurrence was classified as a serious incident according to the criteria of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

     The investigation was conducted by a team of professional investigators in adherence to international standards established by the ICAO. The investigation identified that the take-off clearance was inappropriately issued to the passenger aircraft as a result of distraction. The investigation team has made four safety recommendations.

     "The investigation was conducted by the AAIA with the objective of identifying the circumstances and causes of the serious incident with a view to preventing recurrence," an AAIA spokesperson said.

     Throughout the investigation, all parties concerned were properly consulted on the report. The report is available for download at the AAIA webpage (www.thb.gov.hk/aaia/eng/investigation_reports/index.html).
 
Ends/Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Issued at HKT 16:05
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