What happened
On the night of 9 January 2016, a Cessna 525A Citationjet CJ2, registration G-TBEA, was operating a commercial passenger flight from Norwich International Airport to Manchester International Airport. During the taxi phase, the crew initially diverted onto the wrong taxiway before being re-cleared to backtrack and line up on Runway 27.
As the aircraft lined up for departure, the commander failed to follow the green turning circle taxiway lights to their conclusion, instead cutting the turn. The crew believed they were positioned on the runway centerline, but they had actually aligned the aircraft with the left edge lights. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft began to veer rapidly to the left. The pilot attempted to correct the deviation using right rudder and differential braking, but the left wheel soon left the pavement and entered the grass. The takeoff was subsequently aborted. There were no injuries to the two crew members or the three passengers on board, though the aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear, gear doors, and the underside of the fuselage.
The investigation
The AAIB investigation established that the runway surface was wet and visibility was good, though the incident occurred in darkness. The investigation examined the crew's taxi procedures and the lighting configuration at the airport. It was noted that the aircraft's charts contained a specific warning regarding the width of Runway 27, noting that the pavement at one end is twice the width of the associated edge lights.
The investigation also reviewed the commander's actions, noting that while he believed the visual cues presented a correct picture of being on the centerline, he had not followed the taxiway lights through the full turn. The co-pilot's focus was also examined, with the crew noting that attention may have been too heavily directed toward cockpit instrumentation during the lineup.
Findings
- The aircraft was positioned on the runway edge lights rather than the centerline because the crew did not follow the green turning circle lights through to their completion.
- The crew misidentified the runway edge lights as the centerline lights due to the extra pavement width at the runway end.
- The commander did not highlight the specific warning on the taxi chart regarding the runway width during the pre-taxi briefing.
- The co-pilot's attention was primarily focused on internal cockpit tasks during the alignment process.