Introduction
On 27 April 2021 at 20:48 UTC, a serious incident occurred at Porto Airport, Portugal, involving a Boeing 737-476 (SF) aircraft, registration OE-IAJ, operated by ASL Airlines Belgium. The aircraft initiated a takeoff while a Follow-Me vehicle was present on the runway.
Incident Details
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-476 (SF) freighter variant, was departing from Porto. The presence of the Follow-Me vehicle on the runway during takeoff was the central event. The GPIAAF (Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves e de Acidentes Ferroviários) conducted the safety investigation and published the final report on 29 December 2022.
Investigation
The investigation covered multiple aspects including flight history, personnel information (flight crew, air traffic controllers, airport operations officer), aircraft data, meteorological conditions, communications, and aerodrome information. Transcripts of communications with the Follow-Me vehicle (FM3) and post-event VHF exchanges were included. The report also reviewed runway inspections and other factors. No probable cause is stated in the provided source material.
The investigation involved coordination with ASL Belgium, TAP Air Portugal, NAV Portugal, ANA Aeroportos de Portugal (Porto Airport), the Portuguese National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC), the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Austrian Federal Safety Investigation Authority, and the Belgian Air Accident Investigation Unit. The final report incorporated comments from these entities.