Incident
On 1 December 2001 at 12:08 UTC, a ground airprox (air proximity) occurred at Zurich Airport involving TAP Air Portugal flight 5327, an Airbus A319 (registration CS-TTM), and Crossair flight 3554, a Saab 2000 (registration HB-IYG). The incident took place near the intersection of taxiway Echo and runway 28.
Sequence of Events
TAP5327 had received permission to push back from stand B37 and start engines at 12:02:35. At 12:05:20, the crew requested taxi clearance and were instructed by Zurich Apron to "taxi via Echo hold short RWY 28." The crew confirmed. At 12:06:10, Apron informed them they were "number two behind the Swissair Airbus 330," which the crew acknowledged. At 12:06:55, Apron directed TAP5327 to contact Zurich Ground. The crew switched frequencies and at 12:07:10 called Ground, which immediately instructed them to "hold short of RWY 28." The crew confirmed. Meanwhile, at 12:07:28, the tower controller had cleared CRX3554 for takeoff on runway 28.
Shortly after, the runway holding point stop bar at the Echo/28 intersection had been activated at 12:07:03 (after being off for two crossing Swissair aircraft). At approximately 12:08:35, the stop bar was deactivated after Ground later cleared TAP5327 to cross. However, before that clearance, TAP5327 had already rolled through the red stop bar and approached the runway shoulder. Both an Apron controller and the Ground controller observed the aircraft crossing the stop bar. The Ground controller alerted the tower controller, who assessed the situation. The tower controller decided not to abort the takeoff of CRX3554, which was already at rotation speed near taxiway J. TAP5327 came to a stop with its nose, according to controllers, at the runway shoulder. The commander of CRX3554 later stated he was aware of the approaching aircraft during the takeoff roll but assumed it would stop.
Findings
- TAP5327 had been in contact with Apron until switching to Ground shortly before the incident.
- CRX3554 was in continuous contact with Tower.
- The commander of TAP5327 reported a disagreement with the first officer over radio frequency selection on the second communication set, which led to a loss of concentration. He stated that he realized the error after crossing the stop bar and stopped immediately, estimating the aircraft was more than 15 meters from the runway shoulder, though controllers believed the nose touched the shoulder.
- Weather conditions were Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) with light wind.
Assessment
The report noted that in the year 2001, Zurich Airport had experienced about a dozen runway incursions, some linked to misinterpretation of Apron controllers' instructions. The phraseology used by Apron ("number two behind...") could be misleading as it might imply permission to follow the preceding aircraft across the runway. However, in this case, the phraseology was not considered causal because the crew had received and correctly acknowledged the explicit "hold short" instruction from Ground. The distraction caused by the cockpit disagreement was identified as the primary factor leading to the incursion.
The report also discussed the organizational separation between Zurich Apron (handled by the airport authority) and Zurich Ground (handled by skyguide), which are physically separated and require close coordination. It suggested that improvements in phraseology and markings had been made following previous incursions and recommended further enhancements.
No details of injuries or damage were reported.