Emirates B773 at Melbourne on Nov 30th 2011, took off unlit runway

Last Update: August 3, 2012 / 13:00:54 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Nov 30, 2011

Classification
Report

Airline
Emirates Airlines

Flight number
EK-409

Departure
Melbourne, Australia

Destination
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Aircraft Registration
A6-EGG

Aircraft Type
Boeing 777-300

ICAO Type Designator
B773

An Emirates Boeing 777-300, registration A6-EGG performing flight EK-409 from Melbourne,VI (Australia) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), was preparing for departure, runway 27 was active. Due to performance limitations on runway 27 the crew requested to depart from runway 16, which was granted. The aircraft taxied to the holding point of runway 16, the captain briefed they would do a rolling takeoff. The aircraft aligned with the runway and initiated the takeoff roll. While the aircraft accelerated the captain noticed the runway lights appeared to be on a low intensity setting. The first officer agreed, the takeoff was continued. After the aircraft became airborne, the crew advised departure twice the runway lights may not have been turned on during departure. Departure advised tower, who checked runway light operation and found it working satisfactorily and felt sure the runway lights had been turned on.

The ATSB reported in their monthly bulletin that an examination of the runway lighting system by the aerodrome authority confirmed the runway lights had not been turned on. The controller on duty had been well rested, the other controller had taken a meal break. The controller on duty did not specifically recall to have selected the runway lights on but felt sure he did select them on.

The ATSB released following safety message: "This incident highlights the potential hazards associated with skill based human errors, where an individualÂ’s intention is correct but their execution is incorrect. As such errors (known as slips and lapses) are common, it is important that all individuals involved in safety critical roles understand the nature of these errors and take the necessary steps to minimise the likelihood of them occurring.

Additionally, individuals should understand the need for high levels of vigilance when working in isolation in a safety critical environment."
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Nov 30, 2011

Classification
Report

Airline
Emirates Airlines

Flight number
EK-409

Departure
Melbourne, Australia

Destination
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Aircraft Registration
A6-EGG

Aircraft Type
Boeing 777-300

ICAO Type Designator
B773

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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