What happened
On 2 December 2016, a Boeing B-737-800, registration PH-HZW, operated by Transavia, was conducting a scheduled international flight from Amsterdam-Schiphol to Seville. While approaching Seville, the crew was notified that the runway was temporarily closed due to an aircraft disabled on the field. After an initial period of holding, the crew decided to divert to Málaga/Costa del Sol Airport due to increasing uncertainty regarding the reopening of the Seville runway.
During the final approach to runway 13 at Málaga, the tower controller instructed the crew to execute a go-around. This instruction was prompted by a runway incursion involving another aircraft, an ATR 72-212, which had crossed the runway holding point. While performing the missed approach, the crew of PH-HZW declared a fuel emergency, reporting that fuel quantities were critically low. The aircraft subsequently completed a normal landing on runway 1 and there were no injuries among the 171 passengers and 6 crew members.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation examined the sequence of events at both Seville and Málaga airports. The investigation reviewed the handling of the disabled aircraft at Seville, the communication between air traffic control stations, and the specific movements of the aircraft involved in the incursion at Málaga. The investigators also analyzed the flight logs and radar tracks to determine the timeline of the fuel depletion and the necessity of the go-around command.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was successive delays to the flight caused by factors beyond the crew's control.
- The handling of the runway closure at Seville was inefficient, characterized by poor information exchange between stations and a lack of realistic time estimates for the resumption of operations.
- A runway incursion occurred at Málaga when the crew of the second aircraft misinterpreted a "hold short" instruction as a "line up and wait" clearance, resulting in them crossing the holding point.
- The crew of PH-HZW landed with less than the required final reserve fuel due to the extended holding and diversion time.