What happened
On 5 June 2014, a medevac flight operating an AW139 helicopter was taxiing for departure at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. During the taxi process, the pilot received and acknowledged instructions from Air Traffic Control to hold short of Runway 25.
Despite these instructions, the helicopter crossed the runway stop line without authorization. At the time of the incursion, a Federal Express Airbus A300B4-622R was in the process of landing on Runway 25. To prevent a collision, Air Traffic Control was forced to intervene and instruct the helicopter to stop before it fully entered the active runway.
The investigation
Following the incident, the TSB examined the communication and operational procedures in place at the time of the event. The investigation focused on the sequence of taxiing movements and the adherence to air traffic instructions. The inquiry established that the helicopter's movement onto the runway created a significant risk of collision with the landing cargo aircraft.