What happened
On 7 June 2018, at approximately 16:30 local time, a Boeing 737-800, registration EI-FHZ, operated by Norwegian Air International, began its takeoff roll on runway 10 at Alicante Airport, Spain. The aircraft was carrying 181 persons on board, including 6 crew members and 175 passengers, destined for Oslo, Norway.
Four minutes prior to the takeoff attempt, the control tower had cleared two runway and apron service (SPP) vehicles to conduct a routine runway check. While these vehicles were still occupying the runway, the tower issued a takeoff clearance to the Boeing 737-800. Upon hearing the takeoff instruction, the crew of the service vehicles realized the conflict and immediately alerted the tower via the frequency.
Within 28 seconds of the initial clearance, the controller canceled the authorization and instructed the aircraft to reject its takeoff. The flight crew successfully executed the rejected takeoff (RTO) procedure, stopping the aircraft with sufficient runway remaining. The service vehicles exited the runway via taxiways C4 and C2 without incident. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft or vehicles.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined the actions of the control tower personnel, the service vehicle crews, and the aircraft crew. The investigation focused on the tower's configuration, the communication methods used, and the supervisory oversight provided during the shift. The investigation also reviewed the strip board management and the visual monitoring practices of the controllers on duty.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the issuance of an inappropriate takeoff clearance while the runway was still occupied by two service vehicles.
- The control tower was operating in a single-position configuration, despite traffic conditions requiring a two-position setup.
- The controller on frequency was a student controller with only 96 hours of experience, who was experiencing an excessive workload.
- The instructor on duty failed to provide effective supervision at the time of the incident due to distractions caused by an assistant handling the strip board.
- The use of Spanish for communications between the tower and the service vehicles prevented the aircraft crew from understanding that the runway was occupied.
- The controller failed to perform a full visual scan of the entire runway and did not properly verify the information on the strip board before clearing the aircraft for takeoff.
Safety action
- A safety recommendation was issued to FERRONATS, the service provider for the Alicante Airport control tower, to incorporate the findings of this report into training modules for instructors, controllers, and assistants. This includes reinforcing the necessity of full runway visual inspections, the importance of monitoring the strip board, and the need for constant oversight of student controllers.