What happened
On May 17, 2017, at 09:39 UTC, a runway incursion occurred at the EPLB aerodrome. After starting the engine of a TB9 Tampico, the pilot requested taxi instructions to runway 07. The tower controller instructed the aircraft to taxi to the holding point for runway 07 via Alpha. The pilot acknowledged the instruction by stating, "Taxi 07 via Alpha."
However, the aircraft proceeded onto the active runway without stopping before the illuminated stop bars. The pilot continued toward the threshold of runway 07. Upon noticing the unauthorized entry, the controller notified the pilot that they were only authorized to taxi to the holding point. Due to the absence of other traffic within the control zone, the controller subsequently cleared the aircraft to enter the runway and take off. The departure was completed at 09:43 UTC.
The investigation
The investigation established that the pilot provided a statement indicating they failed to hear the specific portion of the instruction regarding the holding point. The investigation also reviewed the radio communications between the pilot and the tower controller.
Findings
- The primary cause was a pilot error involving the failure to stop at the designated holding point for the active runway.
- A contributing factor was an air traffic controller error, specifically the failure to correct the pilot's incomplete readback of the taxi instructions.