What happened
In the early hours of 18 May 2013, an Airbus A340 operated by LAN Airlines, Chile, prepared for a scheduled flight from Auckland Airport to Sydney. The aircraft, carrying 196 passengers and a crew of ten, was taxiing toward taxiway A1 for a westward departure. During the taxi process, the tower controller cleared the aircraft to line up on the runway and subsequently provided takeoff clearance.
While performing pre-takeoff checks, the captain executed a sharp turn, attempting to align the aircraft with what were perceived to be the runway centerline lights. However, the aircraft actually aligned with the right-hand runway edge lights. As the aircraft accelerated, the captain recognized the misalignment and corrected the steering back to the centerline to complete the takeoff. The crew did not notify air traffic control of the deviation during the event.
Following the departure, a routine inspection of the runway revealed that seven elevated edge lights had been damaged. The runway was closed for 20 minutes to clear the debris. Upon arrival in Sydney, a post-flight inspection of the aircraft revealed that two tyres had sustained damage and required replacement.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the pilot's loss of situational awareness during the final taxiing tasks. Investigators examined the cockpit environment and the physical layout of the airfield, specifically looking at how the lighting configuration influenced the crew's perception of the runway centerline.
Findings
Investigators determined that the primary cause of the incident was that the captain lost awareness of the aircraft's precise position relative to the runway centerline while performing last-minute checks. Several contributing factors were identified:
- The presence of illuminated manoeuvre area guidance signs parallel to the runway, which may have created a visual illusion.
- A lack of secondary verification methods used by the crew to confirm the aircraft's position on the runway.
- The decision to perform a rolling takeoff, which limited the window of time available for the crew to detect and correct the error.
Safety action
The inquiry identified broader safety concerns regarding the intensity settings of aerodrome lighting and potential ambiguities in how International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for airport design are interpreted. Consequently, recommendations were issued to both the Director of Civil Aviation and the chief executive of Auckland International Airport Limited to address these lighting and administrative issues.