According to the Aviation Safety Network, it was at least the second time an airliner crew had initiated a takeoff roll on the shorter runway. According to ASN’s report of Sunday’s accident, an airliner lined up for takeoff on the shorter Runway 26 13 years ago but a controller caught the error and cancelled the clearance. A report of the 1993 incident, reported on the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System and quoted by ASN says, “Possible contributing factors were poor visibility and wx (rain), confusing rwy intxn and twr’s request for an immediate takeoff.” Runway 26 (the short runway) and Runway 22 form a short-legged V with an intersection about one-third of the way from northeast ends of the runways. Paving work has been done recently on the main runway and 600-foot overruns have been added also.
Previous Mishap Averted
Key Takeaways:
- An airliner crew mistakenly initiated a takeoff roll on a shorter runway (Runway 26), marking at least the second such incident at the airport.
- A similar error 13 years prior was attributed to factors including poor visibility, rain, a confusing runway intersection, and a request for immediate takeoff.
- The airport's runway configuration, with Runway 26 and Runway 22 forming a "short-legged V" intersection, appears to be a contributing factor to these errors.
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