What happened
On February 18, 2024, at 17:39 local time, an Embraer E190-200LR, registration OY-GDC, was performing a takeoff from runway 30L at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The flight, operated by Marathon Airlines on behalf of Air Serbia, was bound for Düsseldorf. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft exited the intended path and made contact with airfield lighting and equipment. The impact caused the aircraft to strike the Far Field Monitor antenna for the localizer 12R system, knocking it down and causing the ILS 12R operational category to be downgraded from CAT III to CAT I.
The aircraft sustained significant damage to the left side of the fuselage, the left wing leading edge, the wing-to-fuselage fairing, and the left horizontal stabilizer. Notably, the impact caused a structural failure in the left wing root, leading to a significant fuel leak from the left wing tank. While the aircraft was initially parked at a terminal stand, the leak was discovered during passenger disembarkation, requiring the use of high-capacity containers to collect the escaping fuel. There were no fatalities or injuries among the 106 passengers and 5 crew members.
The investigation
The investigation examined the crew's actions during taxi and takeoff, the aircraft's performance calculations, and the airport's emergency response. Investigators reviewed flight recorder data, cockpit configurations, and the electronic flight bag (EFB) entries. The inquiry also looked into the airport's procedures for allocating parking stands following an incident involving a hazardous leak.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the takeoff from an intersection that did not provide sufficient runway length (TODA) for a safe departure.
- The crew entered the wrong runway via intersection D5 instead of D6 due to a lack of discipline and failure to cross-check their position using taxi charts.
- There were critical errors in the performance application, including the selection of the incorrect runway direction and a potential confusion between takeoff shift length and TORA.
- The aircraft configuration was not updated correctly; the crew left the engine thrust setting at "FLEX 33" instead of "NO FLEX" and incorrectly selected FLAPS 1 instead of FLAPS 4, which resulted in a slow rotation and inadequate climb performance.
- Poor Crew Resource Management (CRM) was evident, characterized by a lack of pre-flight briefing, inadequate verification of flight documentation, and a failure to apply full engine thrust once the error was realized.
- The decision to park the aircraft at a terminal stand (C2) rather than a remote stand was made because the full extent of the fuel leak was not immediately apparent to the crew or airport services upon landing.