What happened
On October 31, 2004, an Emirates Airbus A330-243, registration A6-EKU, was on final approach to runway 14 at Zurich Airport. Due to heavy turbulence caused by northeast winds, the flight crew encountered an unstable approach and initiated a go-around just feet above the ground.
Simultaneously, a Swiss International Air Lines AVRO 146-RJ100, registration HB-IXU, was positioned at the holding point for runway 10. The air traffic controller had previously cleared the AVRO 146-RJ100 to line up and wait on runway 10, and subsequently issued takeoff clearance while the Airbus A330-243 was still on its approach.
Upon noticing the go-around of the Emirates flight, the controller instructed the AVRO 146-RJ100 to abort its takeoff. The crew of the AVRO 146-RJ100 did not initially acknowledge the instruction and continued the takeoff roll, only aborting the maneuver after a second command when the aircraft had reached approximately 100 knots, just below its decision speed (V1). Calculations indicated that had the takeoff continued, the two aircraft would have crossed paths only about 390 meters apart.