Incident Overview
On Friday, 13 June 2014, at 09:24:54 local time, a runway incursion occurred at Palma de Mallorca Airport (Balearic Islands) involving two Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Aircraft OO-JLO (callsign JAF7WJ), operated by JetAirfly, was on final approach and landed on runway 24L. At the same time, aircraft D-AHFH (callsign TUI1FX), operated by TuiFly, was taxiing and had stopped at holding point H10 for runway 24L. At the moment of landing, TUI1FX was approximately 60 meters from the runway centerline, within the runway protection zone but not on the runway. The incident was classified as a type-D runway incursion according to the ICAO Manual on the Prevention of Runway Incursions.
Aircraft and Personnel
Aircraft OO-JLO carried 179 passengers and 8 crew, all uninjured. Aircraft D-AHFH carried 109 passengers and 6 crew, all uninjured. Both aircraft were Boeing 737-800s. The flight of OO-JLO was a scheduled international passenger flight, and D-AHFH was also a scheduled international passenger flight taxiing for departure.
Sequence of Events
Since 08:20, operations at the airport had been using a single runway (24L) due to the temporary closure of runway 24R caused by a fuel spill. Traffic control measures were implemented, but there was considerable traffic handling both arrivals and departures on runway 24L. Ten inbound aircraft were in the approach sequence. The air traffic controller at the local position in the tower intended to allow a departure between arrivals. A clearance to enter the runway had been issued to TUI1FX but was later cancelled. The position of TUI1FX at holding point H10 resulted from this cancelled clearance.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that there was a lack of coordination of an appropriate separation distance to allow an aircraft to depart between arrivals when most traffic was inbound and separations had previously been reduced. The distance separating aircraft entering the aerodrome traffic zone (the formal transfer point) was 5.5 nautical miles. This separation could have allowed the intended operation if the controller had reduced the approach speed of JAF7WJ to maintain the separation as long as possible and instructed the preceding aircraft to exit the runway quickly.
Contributing Factors and Cause
The unexpected closing of runway 24R, the change in runway configuration, delays in departing and arriving aircraft, and the change in the traffic pattern minutes before the incident were identified as contributing factors that may have influenced the controller's decisions. The probable cause is the lack of coordination of an appropriate separation distance to allow an aircraft to depart between arrivals when separations had been reduced.
Safety Recommendations
No safety recommendations were issued in this report.