What happened
On December 18, 2000, a Saab 2000 operated a scheduled flight from Dresden to Zurich. The aircraft was carrying 18 passengers and 4 crew members. During the takeoff roll, the crew heard unusual noises, which they identified as the nose gear tires bursting. The crew immediately initiated an aborted takeoff.
As the aircraft decelerated, it continued to strike runway infrastructure. The aircraft eventually came to a halt after traveling approximately 1,705 meters. The incident caused damage to the aircraft's nose gear tires, main gear tires, and wing leading edges, as well as damage to several runway lights. The runway was closed to flight operations for approximately two hours.
The investigation
The BFU examined the flight data recorder (DFDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVLE), as well as physical evidence at the scene. Investigators analyzed the runway lighting configuration, including the green centerline lights of taxiway E and the white runway edge lights.
Analysis of the DFDR showed that the aircraft's heading deviated from the centerline during the takeoff roll. The investigation also included a nighttime inspection of the airfield to evaluate the visibility of the lighting systems. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft had positioned itself on the left side of the runway edge lights prior to the start of the takeoff roll.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was that the pilot confused the runway centerline lights with the left runway edge lights.
- The second pilot failed to notice this misalignment during the taxi and lineup phase.
- The crew may have been in a "head-down" position while performing lineup checks, leading them to deviate from the green centerline lighting of taxiway E.
- There was no evidence of technical malfunction in the aircraft or significant time pressure on the crew.
- The runway lighting and markings complied with ICAO standards.