What happened
On February 14, 2000, at Ängelholm airport in Sweden, a potential collision occurred between a civil Embraer EMB-120ER, registration SE-LKC, and a military two-ship formation of AJS-37 Viggen fighters (call sign M76/57).
At approximately 15:55, the military formation taxied to runway 22 and received takeoff clearance. Simultaneously, the crew of SE-LKC taxied to runway 32, receiving an IFR clearance to Stockholm/Bromma. At 15:58, as the military formation began its takeoff roll on runway 2 and the EMB-120ER began its roll on the crossing runway 32, the tower controller noticed the civil aircraft was departing without authorization. The controller ordered an immediate abort. The crew of SE-LKC managed to bring the aircraft to a stop roughly 600 meters before the runway intersection.
The investigation
The investigation focused on why the crew of SE-LKC initiated takeoff without verifying the status of the crossing runway. The pilots suggested they were monitoring ground control frequencies and were unaware of the military departure. However, the operator noted that the crew failed to properly confirm takeoff clearance.
Standard operating procedures require the non-flying pilot to read back clearances and the flying pilot to acknowledge them. In this instance, the commander could not confirm if the propeller condition levers had been set to the takeoff position, a task typically performed after receiving clearance. The investigation also considered whether the crew was rushing through checklists due to the short taxi distance between the terminal and the runway.