What happened
On 30 January 2016, a runway incursion occurred at Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson International Airport (LBPIA). An Air Canada Embraer 190, operating flight ACA726, was taxiing for departure on Runway 24R. During this process, the aircraft entered the active runway without receiving the necessary clearance. At the same time, an Air Canada Airbus A320, operating flight ACA1259, was on short final approach to land on the same runway. To avoid a potential collision, the crew of the arriving Airbus A320 was forced to initiate a missed approach.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the unauthorized runway entry. The investigation focused on the communications and instructions provided during the taxi phase of flight ACA726. The findings established that the incident was driven by a misinterpretation of taxi instructions provided to the crew of the Embraer 190.