What happened
On the early morning of 30th January 2012, an Etihad Airways Airbus A330-243, registration A6-EYE, was preparing for a scheduled flight from Abu Dhabi to Dublin. Due to prevailing fog and low visibility conditions, the flight experienced a departure delay.
After receiving clearance to line up on runway 31L, the crew taxied toward the active runway following the green centerline taxi lights. However, shortly after passing the stop bar, the crew lost visual contact with the green leading lights. The aircraft subsequently drifted left, positioning the nose gear over the runway edge white line rather than the centerline.
As the takeoff roll commenced, the aircraft struck eleven runway edge lights, causing significant damage. The crew aborted the takeoff at a speed of 83 knots. During the subsequent taxi to vacate the runway, the nose wheel sustained a puncture due to the impact with the edge lights. There were no injuries among the 216 passengers or the 13 crew members on board.
The investigation
The GCAA AAIS investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the misalignment and the physical impact with the runway infrastructure. Investigators examined the aircraft's flight recorder data, which confirmed the takeoff was rejected after the impact. The investigation also reviewed the meteorological conditions, noting the presence of fog, and the functionality of the airport's lighting systems. The team also analyzed the aircraft's position relative to the runway centerline and the damage sustained by the landing gear and runway edge lights.