Accident investigators ask BA to tighten up procedures after runway mistake
A British Airways Boeing 777 has managed to take off from the wrong runway, sparking a demand by air accident investigators that the airline review the way pilots conduct their airfield inspections. According to a report by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) the incident, which took place at an airfield on the Caribbean Island of St Kitts, could have been very serious.
The report describes how the 777 was manoeuvred to a position on the runway from which an aircraft of its size was not permitted to take-off. According to the captain of the aircraft, because St Kitts is such a small airfield, he did not feel it was necessary to discuss take off points with his co-pilot as he would normally do at larger airports.
The report states that it was only after the aircraft had become airborne that the co-pilot realised something had gone wrong. The AAIB claim he noticed the grass at the end of the runway was appearing under the aircraft’s nose sooner than expected.
On board the flight, bound for Antigua, was BA’s station engineer. When he realised that the plane was attempting to take off with less than the required amount of runway he apparently left his seat to warn the flight crew. However, he sat down again after he realised the aircraft was already into its take-off run.
The AAIB has asked BA to make sure that pilots practice airfield inspections at all airports, and that St Kitts tighten up its standards so that a potentially fatal mistake similar to this does not happen in the future.