Incident Description
An analysis of recorded radar data from Brisbane Airport revealed that an aircraft began its take-off roll on the edge of the runway before moving laterally to the centreline. The incident occurred at night, with the airport's taxiway and runway lights operational. However, lead-in lights—designed to assist pilots in aligning with the runway centreline—were not installed on the runway used.
Lighting Conditions
The aircraft's taxi light, which was in use during taxi and likely during the take-off, provided only very limited forward visibility to the pilot. This reduced the pilot's ability to visually confirm the aircraft's position on the runway.
Pilot Factors
The pilot reported feeling rushed after receiving clearance from the Aerodrome Controller (ADC) to line up. While still completing line-up checks, the controller issued a frequency change, creating a distraction. According to the pilot, this combination of perceived time pressure and distraction impaired their capacity to recognise that the aircraft was not aligned with the runway centreline.
Airservices Australia noted that there was a 30-second delay on the runway for wake turbulence separation, and no other aircraft were on final approach at the time. Consequently, there was no actual operational urgency. Nonetheless, the pilot experienced a subjective sense of time pressure.
Contributing Factors
- Absence of lead-in lighting on the runway.
- Limited visibility from the aircraft's taxi light.
- Pilot's perception of time pressure and distraction due to clearance and frequency change.