What happened
On August 8, 2019, an Embraer E-190, registration LV-CPJ, operated by Austral Líneas Aéreas Cielos del Sur S.A., was performing a scheduled commercial flight from Comodoro Rivadavia to Mendoza. During the takeoff roll, the flight crew identified a vehicle on the runway. Due to the aircraft's high speed and the distance from the vehicle, the crew elected to continue the takeoff, which was completed without further incident. There were no injuries among the 67 people on board, and no damage was sustained by the aircraft.
The investigation
The investigation examined the communications and coordination protocols between the air traffic control (ATC) tower and ground vehicles. It was established that while the crew and ATC were communicating via VHF, the vehicle driver was using the CANAD network, a UHF-based coordination channel for ground operations. The driver had used this channel to report the presence of dogs near taxiway Bravo and to request permission to cross the runway. The investigation also reviewed the authorization status of the vehicle, finding that the driver was operating a truck that did not have permission to cross the runway at that time.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incursion was the unauthorized crossing of the runway by a vehicle.
- A lack of synchronization in communication frequencies contributed to the incident, as ground coordination occurred on a UHF channel that was not recorded by the tower's flight recorder, unlike the VHF air-to-ground communications.
- The vehicle driver proceeded to cross the runway without valid authorization from ATC.
- There was a need for improved monitoring and standardized communication practices between ground vehicles and the control tower.