Australian Transport Safety Bureau finds Virgin Australia flight took off from closed section of runway at Brisbane Airport
An investigation has found a Virgin flight with 169 passengers took off from Brisbane from a closed section of runway after its flight crew misinterpreted or missed crucial notes.
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A Virgin Australia flight bound for Melbourne from Brisbane took off from a closed section of the runway after its flight crew misinterpreted or missed crucial flight notes due to “pressures and distractions”.
An Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation has found that a Boeing 737 aircraft entered a closed section of runway during its takeoff from Brisbane Airport on November 30, 2022.
The Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800, registered VH‑YFH, commenced its takeoff from Brisbane’s runway 19L for a flight to Melbourne, with 169 passengers and eight crew members on board.
According to the ATSB investigation, the flight crew comprised a training captain and a first officer undertaking ‘line flying under supervision’ as part of the first officer’s conversion onto the 737 aircraft.
However, unrecognised by the crew, the takeoff distance available for runway 19L was reduced by 871m due to runway works.
It is understood that a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) information detailed the shortened runway length available due to maintenance works.
The investigation found that during the takeoff roll, the aircraft briefly entered, and became airborne in, the closed section of runway.
The aircraft completed the departure and continued on to Melbourne without further incident.
ATSB Director Transport Safety Stuart MacLeod said that the reduced runway length was mentioned in dispatcher notes and in a NOTAM.
“The displaced threshold was detailed in dispatcher notes and in a NOTAM – Notice to Airmen advisory – included in pre-flight paperwork given to the crew prior to their previous flight from Melbourne to Brisbane, as well as in the paperwork for the Brisbane departure,” Mr MacLeod said.
“Further, the ATIS broadcast of recorded aeronautical information for Brisbane Airport at the time of the departure also alerted flight crews to the displaced threshold and reduced takeoff distance at the time.
“However, during the pre-flight for the flight from Melbourne to Brisbane, the captain misinterpreted the dispatcher notes to mean there were no performance requirements for operations on runway 19L, then on reviewing the relevant NOTAMs headline, incorrectly dismissed the Brisbane NOTAM detailing the displaced runway threshold as not being relevant to their flight.”
This resulted in a departure with insufficient runway available due to the aircraft being overweight for that reduced runway length.
An ATSB investigation report notes the crew’s belief that there were no performance requirements for runway 19L was reinforced by the absence of any visible runway works or other indications of restrictions during their landing on the runway after their flight from Melbourne.
“This, combined with time pressures and distractions from prioritising training needs, contributed to the flight crew then inputting the incorrect runway data during pre-flight calculations prior to the departure from Brisbane,” Mr MacLeod said.
He added that a combination of “distraction and misinterpretation” resulted in the crucial flight notes being missed.
“This incident and investigation underscore the importance of flight crews considering possible variations to takeoff and/or landing dimensions when determining runway performance data,” Mr Macleod said.
“This operator’s procedures did account for such changes through notification of performance requirements within their NOTAM system, however, due to a combination of distraction and misinterpretation, they were not identified.”
Since the occurrence, Virgin Australia has implemented a number of safety management, procedural and information-based changes designed to improve flight crew awareness.
Virgin Australia has been contacted for comment.
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