What happened
On February 14, 2023, at approximately 07:57 local time, a serious incident took place at Zurich Airport (LSZH) during a scheduled commercial flight. An Airbus A320-214, operated by Swiss International Air Lines under registration HB-IJQ, was performing a takeoff roll on runway 28. During this maneuver, a runway inspection vehicle, operating under the callsign Gusti-1, entered the intersection of runways 34/28. The vehicle's movement occurred under conditions of poor visibility, creating a high-risk situation as the aircraft was actively departing.
The investigation
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) initiated an inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding the presence of the vehicle on the active runway. The investigation focused on the movements of the runway inspection vehicle, the visibility conditions present at the time of the incident, and the coordination between airport ground operations and the departing flight. The investigation sought to determine how the vehicle reached the runway intersection while the Airbus A320-214 was in its takeoff phase.
Findings
- The primary factor contributing to the incident was the entry of a runway inspection vehicle into the runway 34/28 intersection while an aircraft was utilizing runway 28 for takeoff.
- Low visibility conditions at the time of the event impacted the ability to maintain separation and situational awareness.
- The incident involved a commercial flight carrying 70 passengers and a crew of six (two pilots and four cabin crew members).