2003 Gothenburg/Landvetter aborted takeoff involving LN-RPL

Incident Overview On 7 December 2003, at 19:45 local time, a Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) Boeing 737-800 with registration LN-RPL was operating charter flight SK 7918 from Salzburg, Austria, to Stockholm/Arlanda, Sweden, with an intermediate stop at Gothenburg/Landvetter Airport. The aircraft was returning a charter group to Sweden. ## Flight History and Discovery After landing in Gothenburg, 59 passengers disembarked, while 121 remained seated in the cabin. No new passengers boarded. The aircraft was refueled and de-iced. Cabin crew noted that most remaining passengers were seated far back in the cabin and informed the commander. The commander waited to see the loadsheet before taking action. The loadsheet provided to the pilots indicated that passengers were evenly distributed and that mass and balance limitations were met. During the takeoff roll, as the aircraft approached 80 knots and before reaching V1, the co-pilot, who was the pilot flying, observed the nose lifting spontaneously without input to the control column. He reported this to the commander, who took control and aborted the takeoff. The aircraft was taxied back to the terminal. ## Investigation Findings After parking, the pilots and SAS personnel reviewed the loadsheet and found that the passenger distribution data did not match the actual seating arrangement. The investigation identified shortcomings in the routines and computerized systems used to produce loadsheets. These errors resulted in the takeoff being commenced with a center-of-gravity position more than one-quarter aft of the certified center-of-gravity span. ## Outcome and Recommendations No injuries or damage were reported. The passengers were rearranged to achieve an even distribution, a new loadsheet was produced, and the aircraft subsequently took off for Stockholm/Arlanda. The Swedish Accident Investigation Board recommended that the Swedish Civil Aviation Authority seek higher international standards for quality assurance of operational aids systems, require information when calculated or default values replace verified values in pilot planning systems, and introduce physical checks of passenger seating against loadsheet data for heavy aircraft passenger traffic using computerized loadsheet systems.