Düsseldorf Runway Incursion Involving BAe 146 and EMB 145

Incident Overview On 6 February 2007, a serious incident occurred at Düsseldorf Airport involving a British Aerospace BAe 146 and an Embraer EMB 145. The BAe 146 was taking off from runway 23L when the EMB 145 crossed the runway, leading to a close encounter. The BAe 146 lifted off in time and overflew the EMB 145 at an estimated height of 50 feet. No injuries or damage were reported. ## Aircraft and Crew The BAe 146-300, serial number E3165, was built in 1990 and equipped with four ALF502R-5 engines. It was certified by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt on 12 May 2005. The EMB 145 was arriving from Milan-Malpensa with 20 passengers and three crew members on board. Both aircraft crews held valid licenses and qualifications. ## Sequence of Events At 08:07:46, the BAe 146 confirmed its takeoff clearance for runway 23L. Four seconds later, the EMB 145 was instructed to hold short of runway 23L, which the copilot acknowledged. During the takeoff roll, the BAe 146 crew asked for confirmation of their clearance and inquired about the EMB 145's position. The controller immediately addressed the EMB 145 crew, who apologized for a cockpit misunderstanding. ## Investigation Details The investigation was conducted by the Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) under the German Aircraft Accident Investigation Act. The report was closed summarily, focusing solely on the facts. Meteorological conditions had no impact on the incident, and there were no visibility restrictions. The airport has two parallel runways, 05L/23R and 05R/23L, separated by approximately 500 meters.