History of the Flight
The aircraft was on a chartered passenger flight from Norwich International Airport to Manchester International Airport with two crew and three passengers. The commander was the pilot flying and taxied the aircraft. Runway 27 was in use, wet, with wind from 170° at 15 kt, visibility over 10 km, and dark conditions.
After an uneventful start, ATC cleared the aircraft to taxi from the SaxonAir Apron via Taxiways Echo and Tango to Holding Point Alpha 2. As the aircraft passed Tango, the commander incorrectly turned onto Taxiway Charlie. Realizing the mistake, he stopped, and the co-pilot informed ATC. The aircraft was re-cleared to Holding Point Charlie Two and then to enter, backtrack, and line up on Runway 27. Upon entering the runway, the commander initially followed the runway centreline lights and then the green turning circle taxiway lights on the threshold, turning left to line up on what the crew believed was the centreline. ATC cleared the aircraft for takeoff.
Soon after starting the takeoff run, the aircraft veered rapidly left. The commander applied right rudder and differential braking but realized the left wheel was on grass and aborted the takeoff. The aircraft decelerated and slewed right due to the control inputs.
After stopping, the commander shut down engines, the co-pilot informed ATC, and the commander confirmed no passenger injuries. He opened the cabin door to check for smoke or fire; none were present. The crew remained on board until RFFS arrived.
Aerodrome Information
The incident occurred at night. All lighting on Runway 27 was checked after the event and found to be functioning normally. The commercially available chart used by the crew included a warning: 'At both ends of rwy 09/27 its width is twice that of the associated edge lights due to extra pavement at one side.'
Crew Comments
The commander stated he lined up with white lights ahead and to the right, believing they were the centreline and right edge lights. He does not recall looking left. He believes he lined up with the left edge lights, having not followed the green turning circle taxiway lights fully but 'undercut them.' Due to extra pavement parallel to the runway, he did not realize the misalignment. He noted that he typically includes the taxi chart in his briefing but did not highlight the warning on this occasion. He also believed that following the original taxi clearance via Holding Point Alpha Two would have likely prevented the event.
The co-pilot commented that his attention may have been inside the cockpit during line-up and thrust setting, and that more 'heads up' time might have prevented the mistake.
Previous Events
The CAA MOR database recorded 14 events from 1982 to 2015 involving misidentification of runway edge lights as centreline lights, including four investigated by the AAIB. One involved a Gulfstream III at Biggin Hill in 2014, which led to Safety Recommendation 2015-038: that ICAO develop a standard for runway edge lights allowing pilots to identify them specifically. ICAO referred the recommendation to the Aerodrome Design and Operations Panel (ADOP) for study.
Safety Actions
On 15 January 2016, the operator issued an Information Notice to all pilots reminding that taxiing is critical. It included guidance to brief on expected visual references when cleared to line up, and to perform a gross error check: confirm heading against runway orientation, confirm line-up on a dashed centreline (not solid), and compare lights with chart expectations.