What happened
On the night of October 25, 2006, a Cessna Citation 525, registration OO-FLN, landed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on runway 18R following a charter flight from Malaga, Spain. After landing, the pilot received taxi instructions to proceed to Schiphol-East. During the taxi process, the aircraft crossed runway 09, which was active for departures at that time.
At the time of the crossing, a Boeing 747 freighter was positioned at the threshold of runway 09 and had been cleared for takeoff. While the heavy aircraft was stationary, the Cessna Citation 525 moved across the runway centerline. The runway controller observed the crossing as it was occurring but did not rescind the takeoff clearance for the Boeing 74．7. The incident was identified by the platform controller via ground radar, who alerted the tower staff that the aircraft was crossing runway 09-27.
The investigation
The investigation examined the taxi routing, air traffic control instructions, and environmental conditions. Due to maintenance work on runway 18L-36R, a standard taxi route was unavailable, forcing aircraft to use a detour through a known "hot spot" area. The investigation also reviewed the visibility of taxiway markings and lighting.
Investigators found that the pilot was following green centerline lights but encountered a section where the standard lighting configuration was not visible or was inactive due to maintenance. The investigation also looked into the clarity of the instructions provided by the ground controller, specifically the use of the phrase "first left, first right," and the status of the stopbars at intersection N2.
Findings
Several contributing factors led to the runway incursion:
- The use of a non-standard taxi route due to ongoing maintenance work.
- The pilot's reliance on taxiway centerline lights, which were confusing or invisible due to the specific direction of travel and maintenance-related power shutdowns.
- The instruction "first left, first right" was deemed not unambiguous for navigating the detour.
- The absence of active stopbars at intersection N2, as low-visibility procedures were not in effect.
- The pilot was navigating through a high-risk hot spot area without updated information regarding the specific taxiway detours in the pre-flight briefing.
- The pilot's visibility was further hampered by heavy rain and ineffective windshield wipers.