What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2016-12-27 involved a JET AIRWAYS BOEING B-737-800, registration VT-JBG, at GOA, IN.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The accident was caused by the pilot engaging TOGA mode before the engines had reached stabilized, equal thrust levels, creating an asymmetric thrust condition that induced a rightward yaw. This was compounded by an improper rejection maneuver and ineffective corrective actions.

Jet Airways Boeing 737 Runway Excursion at Goa

A Jet Airways Boeing 737-800 veered off the runway during takeoff at Goa, resulting in substantial aircraft damage and minor injuries to 16 passengers.

What happened

On December 27, 2016, a Jet Airways Boeing 737-800, registration VT-JBG, was performing a scheduled takeoff from Goa, bound for Delhi. During the takeoff roll on Runway 26, the aircraft began drifting toward the right side of the runway immediately after the pilot engaged the Takeoff/Go-Around (TOGA) mode.

As the aircraft veered, it left the paved surface and entered an unpaved, uneven area. The crew attempted to use the brakes, rudder, and nose wheel steering to regain control, but the bumpy terrain made effective steering impossible. The aircraft traveled approximately 219 meters from the runway centerline, striking PAPI lights and a 2.3-meter-high vertical pillar, which caused significant damage to the engine and fuselage. The aircraft eventually came to a stop near a periphery road. Due to the sudden movement and dust, the cabin crew initiated an emergency evacuation. While there were no fatalities, 16 passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation process.

The investigation

The AAIB India investigation examined the flight data recorder (DFDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) to reconstruct the sequence of events. Investigators analyzed the engine parameters, thrust lever positions, and the crew's response to the deviation. The inquiry also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance history, the crew's training records, and the aerodrome's emergency response capabilities. The investigation focused on the engine thrust levels at the moment of TOGA activation and the subsequent handling of the thrust levers during the aborted takeoff attempt.

Findings

The pilot in command initiated the TOGA procedure before the engines had stabilized, with the number one engine at 40% thrust and the number two engine at only 28%.
Asymmetric thrust caused the aircraft to yaw violently to the right.
The rejected takeoff maneuver was performed incorrectly; the crew only retarded the number two thrust lever, leaving the number one engine at a higher power setting.
During the excursion over the rough surface, the pilot inadvertently moved the number one thrust lever forward, further increasing the power imbalance.
The crew failed to apply the speed brakes during the rejected takeoff.
The departure briefing conducted by the crew did not adequately cover procedures for rejected takeoffs or emergency evacuations.

Safety action

The operator was advised to reinforce the importance of emergency briefings and to ensure First Officers are more assertive in enforcing standard operating procedures.
A recommendation was made to introduce a "stabilized" callout by the Pilot Monitoring once thrust levels are verified as identical before TOGA activation.
The airline's training department should incorporate specific simulator scenarios involving unstabilized thrust and uneven engine spool-up during low-speed rejected takeoffs.