What happened
On 11 September 2019, at approximately 19:50 UTC, a runway incursion occurred at Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport (LEMG) involving two Boeing 737-8AS aircraft, registrations EI-ENH and EI-DYR.
The aircraft EI-ENH, operating a scheduled flight from Málaga to Liverpool, was taxiing toward the head of runway 13. After being instructed to line up and hold, the pilot received clearance for immediate takeoff. Simultaneously, the second aircraft, EI-DYR, was on short final approach to the same runway.
As the departing aircraft began its takeoff run, the air traffic controller cleared the arriving aircraft to land with the preceding traffic in view. This resulted in both aircraft occupying the runway area at the same time. The minimum separation between the two aircraft dropped to approximately 520 meters (0.28 NM) while both were on the runway. There were no injuries and no damage to either aircraft or its passengers.
The investigation
The CIAIAC investigation focused on the sequence of communications and the operational procedures at the Local Control position. The investigation established that the controller had instructed the departing aircraft to line up and hold while the arriving aircraft was only 3.9 NM from the threshold.
Investigators found that the controller cleared the departing aircraft for immediate takeoff without verifying if the crew was ready or informing them of the approaching arrival. Furthermore, the controller authorized the landing of EI-DYR when the separation between the two aircraft had already decreased to 3.1 NM, at which point the departing aircraft was already in its takeoff roll. The investigation also noted that the controller attempted to utilize a narrow gap between scheduled arrivals to authorize a departure.
Findings
- The primary cause was that an aircraft was cleared to land on a runway that was already occupied by another aircraft in the process of taking off, failing to maintain regulatory separation distances.
- Deficient planning by the air traffic controller, who attempted to take advantage of a gap between landings to authorize a takeoff, contributed to the event.
- A lack of decisive action by the controller to cancel the takeoff clearance, despite the immediate danger of losing separation, was a contributing factor.
- The departing aircraft had taxied to a specific holding point (HN-3) that required a longer runway access time due to an uphill slope, which influenced the timing of the sequence.