Easyjet A319 at London on Jul 13th 2021, rejected takeoff above V1 due to disagreeing airspeeds
Last Update: January 13, 2022 / 11:29:04 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jul 13, 2021
Classification
Report
Airline
Easyjet
Flight number
U2-9002
Departure
London Luton, United Kingdom
Destination
London Luton, United Kingdom
Aircraft Registration
G-EZBD
Aircraft Type
Airbus A319
ICAO Type Designator
A319
The AAIB released their final bulletin concluding the probable cause of the serious incident was:
The aircraft suffered an airspeed discrepancy resulting from a blocked pitot probe. The crew recognised the fault and the takeoff was rejected.
The AAIB summarized the operator's examination of the aircraft:
The aircraft pitot systems were examined after the event and all appeared to be satisfactory. All three pitot systems were flushed in accordance with Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) procedures. During the flush some debris was seen to be removed from the co-pilot’s pitot system. The material was not recovered so the quantity and constituent of the debris could not be determined. Following the flush procedure, all the aircraft pitot systems were leak checked in accordance with AMM procedures and all were satisfactory.
The AAIB analysed:
The aircraft suffered a discrepancy between airspeed systems, which was identified during the takeoff roll through routine flight crew cross checks. Prior to the flight the crew had discussed company documentation relating to previous airspeed discrepancy events on other aircraft and so they were alert to the possibility. The co-pilot noticed a discrepancy between his PFD and the ISIS at approximately 60 kt. He rechecked the indications and confirmed that the PFD indications had remained at 40 kt and informed the commander by which point the ISIS was indicating between 80 and 90 kt. The aircraft was light and therefore accelerating very rapidly. The commander looked briefly across the cockpit to confirm the situation and then called “Stop.” The aircraft airspeed was above 100 kt and increasing rapidly. As a result of the rapid acceleration, by the time the commander was able to articulate his order, the RTO was initiated at 120 kt, 11 kt above the calculated V1. However, due to the light weight the aircraft was within the field length limited performance and stopped safely on the runway.
The debris from the pitot probe was not recovered, so it was not possible to determine the source of the material that obstructed the co-pilot’s pitot probe. Recorded data showed that the calculated airspeed on the co-pilot’s system remained at 0 kt throughout the event and so it is likely that the system was significantly blocked.
The engineering checks carried out on the aircraft before and during the parked period all recorded that pitot covers were fitted. It was not possible to determine when the pitot blockage occurred.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jul 13, 2021
Classification
Report
Airline
Easyjet
Flight number
U2-9002
Departure
London Luton, United Kingdom
Destination
London Luton, United Kingdom
Aircraft Registration
G-EZBD
Aircraft Type
Airbus A319
ICAO Type Designator
A319
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Easyjet A319 at Menorca on May 5th 2018, bird strike
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZBD performing flight U2-2256 from Menorca,SP (Spain) to London Luton,EN (UK), was in the initial climb…
Easyjet A319 at Sofia on Nov 17th 2022, pressurization failure
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZBV performing positioning flight U2-9002 from Sofia (Bulgaria) to London Gatwick,EN (UK) with 2 crew on…
Easyjet A21N at Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura on Sep 26th 2022, landed below final fuel reserve
An Easyjet Airbus A321-200N, registration G-UZMF performing flight U2-6195 from Bristol,EN (UK) to Gran Canaria,CI (Spain) with 190 passengers and 7…
Easyjet A320 at Manchester on Aug 7th 2022, bird strike
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200, registration G-EZOP performing flight U2-1877 from Manchester,EN (UK) to Bilbao,SP (Spain), was climbing out of…
Easyjet A319 at London on Jul 24th 2022, hydraulic leak
An Easyjet Airbus A319-100, registration G-EZDR performing flight U2-8941 from London Gatwick,EN (UK) to Tirana (Albania), was climbing out of…
Easyjet A20N at Faro on Jul 25th 2022, engine fire warning
An Easyjet Airbus A320-200N, registration G-UZHF performing flight U2-6844 from Faro (Portugal) to Glasgow,SC (UK) with about 190 people on board,…
Newest articles
CAA A320 at Mbuji Mayi on Jan 29th 2023, dropped part of elevator on departure
A CAA Compagnie Africaine Aviation Airbus A320-200, registration 9S-ABM performing flight BU-415 from Mbuji Mayi to Kinshasa N'Djili (DR Congo),…
Canada A321 near Montreal on Jan 12th 2023, hydraulic problems
An Air Canada Airbus A321-200, registration C-FLKX performing flight AC-418 from Toronto,ON to Montreal,QC (Canada), was enroute when the crew…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner

A new way to document and demonstrate airworthiness compliance and aircraft value. Find out more.

ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
Get updates
Never miss an article from AeroInside. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and join 5598 existing subscribers.
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways