What happened
On July 10, 2005, at 18:17 local time, a runway incursion occurred at Frankfurt am Main involving two commercial aircraft. An Airbus A300/A321 was in the middle of its takeoff roll on runway 07L when an Airbus A319, taxiing toward the terminal via taxiway D, crossed the end of the runway.
The A321 had received takeoff clearance at 18:16 and was accelerating from taxiway J. Based on its weight of 73 tonnes and calculated performance, the aircraft required approximately 2000 meters of runway before rotation. As the A321 reached the intersection with taxiway F, it had approximately 800 meters of separation from the A319. Shortly after passing this intersection, the A321 climbed to an altitude of approximately 600 feet, flying directly over the A319 as the latter crossed the runway threshold.
The investigation
The BFU examined radio communications and radar recordings from both frequency sectors and the ground/approach radar. The investigation focused on the instructions provided by the ground controller and the subsequent readback by the A319 crew. While flight data and cockpit voice recorders for both aircraft were unavailable, the radar and voice logs provided a clear sequence of the movement of both aircraft.
Findings
- The A319 crew was instructed by the ground controller to contact the tower frequency (119.900 MHz) to obtain clearance to cross runway 07L.
- The pilots of the A319 provided an incorrect readback, stating they would cross and then contact 119.900 MHz, rather than confirming they were waiting for clearance to cross.
- The ground controller failed to notice and correct this erroneous readback.
- High traffic volume was noted on both parallel runways at the time of the incident.
- There were no injuries and no damage to either aircraft.