What happened
On November 11, 2007, at approximately 13:04 JST, a runway incursion occurred at Chubu Centrair International Airport involving two aircraft. An Airbus A319, registration B2294, operated by China Southern Airlines, was taxiing for departure. While following a preceding aircraft, the crew requested an intersection departure via taxiway A3S. Although the tower controller explicitly instructed the aircraft to hold short of runway 36, the crew proceeded to cross the stop line and enter the runway.
At that moment, an Airbus A320-200, registration JA8394, operated by All Nippon Airways, was on final approach to runway 36 with landing clearance. Upon visually spotting the China Southern aircraft entering the runway, the controller ordered the ANA flight to execute a go-around. The ANA aircraft was approximately 3.2nm from the runway end at the time of the instruction. The China Southern crew eventually brought the aircraft to a halt near the runway after a TCAS warning alerted them to the approaching traffic. There were no injuries and no damage to either aircraft.
The investigation
The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) examined ATC communication records, radar tracks, and the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) from both aircraft. The investigation also included interviews with the pilots of both aircraft and the tower controller. Investigators analyzed the taxi route changes and the specific radio exchanges regarding the intersection departure request. While the Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) had been overwritten and could not be retrieved, the DFDR and ATC transcripts provided a clear timeline of the instructions and the aircraft's movements.