What happened
On 18 April 1998, an Airbus A320-231, registration G-OOAB, was performing a scheduled public transport flight from Gatwick to Tel Aviv. During the takeoff roll at Tel Aviv Airport, the aircraft reached approximately 150 kt when the commander's Primary Flying Display and Navigation Display suddenly went blank. Shortly thereafter, both the upper and lower ECAM displays also lost power, though the first officer's instruments remained functional.
Following the activation of a Master Warning and a continuous repetitive chime, the crew decided to abort the takeoff. The commander applied full reverse thrust and maximum autobrake. As the aircraft decelerated, the crew observed smoke and noted that the landing gear wheelbrakes had reached temperatures of approximately 900°C. While taxiing off the runway, the aircraft's tires began to deflate as the thermal safety plugs melted. There were no injuries to the 11 crew members or 178 passengers, and no damage was sustained to the aircraft.
The investigation
The AAIB examined flight data recorder (DFDR) records, which revealed a loss of data synchronization for 1.5 seconds, consistent with a temporary loss of electrical power to the recorder via AC bus 1. Engineering simulator tests conducted at Airbus Toulouse demonstrated that even a brief interruption in power (as short as 200ms) could cause flight displays to blank out for several seconds while the systems underwent a power-up self-test.
Investigators also inspected the No 1 Integrated Drive Generator (IDG). While the manufacturer stated that identified defects—such as sheared oil pressure switch wires and a damaged governor—were not directly responsible for the power loss, the No 1 IDG was replaced as a precaution. A second, similar incident involving intermittent display blanking occurred on the same aircraft on 4 May 1998.
Findings
- The primary cause of the aborted takeoff was the sudden loss of electrical power to the commander's flight displays and the subsequent activation of the Master Warning.
- The extreme brake temperatures were a result of the high-energy rejected takeoff and the use of maximum autobrake.
- Communication between the flight deck and the Airport Fire Service was complicated by the need for Air Traffic Control to translate between English and Hebrew.
- The investigation could not definitively identify the specific cause of the intermittent electrical power interruption, though it was likely linked to an unidentified defect in the No 1 IDG.