What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2004-01-26 involved a různé, at LKPR, CZ.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The primary cause of the series of incursions was the failure of multiple flight crews to correctly vacate runway 24, instead entering runway 13. This was compounded by confusing runway/taxiway markings at the intersection of runway 24 and 31.

Series of Runway Incursions at Prague Ruzyně Airport

Four separate aircraft involving different operators incorrectly vacated runway 24 for runway 13 at Prague Ruzyně Airport on January 26, 2004.

What happened

On January 26, 2004, a series of runway incursions occurred at Prague Ruzyně Airport (LKPR) involving four different aircraft. The incidents took place during daylight hours under overcast conditions with low visibility.

At 07:39 UTC, an Aerosvit Boeing 737 (flight AEW 209) landed on runway 24. Following instructions to vacate via taxiway D and F and cross runway 13, the crew turned left onto runway 13 instead of following the assigned taxiway. The crew realized the error and notified the tower.

Shortly after, a Malev Fokker 70 (flight MAH 820) landed on runway 24. Without receiving instructions from the tower, the crew vacated the runway directly onto runway 13. Air Traffic Control (ATC) observed the maneuver and provided new instructions to taxi straight ahead and turn onto taxiway F.

At 08:14 UTC, a LOT ATR 72 (flight 523) landed on runway 24. Similar to the Malev flight, the crew vacated onto runway 13 without authorization, mistakenly reporting to the tower that they had vacated via taxiway D. ATC corrected their position and provided new taxi instructions.

At 08:33 UTC, a Belavia JAK 40 (flight BRU 861) landed on runway 24. Following a command to vacate via the second left, the crew believed they had already passed taxiway D. This led to a 180-degree turn back onto runway 06 before eventually correcting their course to runway 13.

Finally, at 08:52 UTC, an AirBaltic Fokker 50 (flight BTI 281) landed on runway 24. Following the instruction to vacate via the second left, the crew turned onto runway 13, subsequently requesting permission to use that runway.

The investigation

The ÚZPLN investigation utilized radar animations and radio communication recordings from the Prague Ruzyně tower to verify the movements of the aircraft. The investigation examined the taxiway markings and the specific configuration of the runway intersections.

Findings

The primary cause for all incidents was the incorrect vacating of runway 24 onto runway 13 by the various flight crews.
Contributing factors included the specific horizontal markings at the intersection of runway 24 and runway 31, as well as the vertical markings for taxiway D.
In the case of the Malev flight, the failure of ATC to issue a timely vacating instruction was also noted as a contributing factor.