2024-07 · NASA ASRS report 2148642
Air carrier flight crew reported executing a high speed rejected takeoff at PHX after encountering FOD and experiencing directional control difficulties possibly related to a nearby landing aircraft.
The event began on takeoff from 25R in PHX. I was acting as PM as CA of the flight. Takeoff roll was normal through 80KIAS. At about this time; I noticed 2 pieces of FOD (that looked like napkins or pieces of paper) swirling across the runway from left to right. About the time we went past the pieces of FOD on the right side of the aircraft (speed was approximately 110-120KIAS); the aircraft veered suddenly to the right. At this time I came on the rudder pedals with the FO; announced reject; my aircraft" and initiated the takeoff reject procedure; while steering the aircraft back towards center line. The aircraft came to a full stop on the runway with no further incident. No other abnormal indications were observed. All callouts and Company SOP's were followed. The FO [notified] ATC; and requested the airport vehicles to come out and inspect the aircraft for any indications of fire or damage. I made a PA in accordance with company procedures for everyone to remain seated. I then communicated with the Flight Attendants checking on the safety of everyone in the cabin and gave a quick explanation of what happened. Joining back up with the FO; we determined that there were no other abnormal indications in the flight deck; or on the ECAM. While waiting for the fire trucks to arrive; we turned the brake fans and APU on. When the fire trucks arrived; it took a while to establish communications with them as they were on a separate discreet frequency; while we were still on Tower frequency. They advised us that they could not approach the aircraft to check our brake temperatures with the engines running. We elected to leave the engines running; and asked them to visually inspect the aircraft. After determining that everything on the outside of the aircraft looked normal; we taxied off the runway; completed the after-landing flow; and taxied normally to Gate XX with the fire trucks following behind for safety. Parking at the gate; and engine shutdown were all normal. I made the decision to deplane the aircraft due to high cabin temperatures. There were no injuries; and all passengers deplaned safely. After arriving at the gate; I contacted the Dispatch pilot; PHX Maintenance; made a logbook entry in the Logbook; and completed a report. Shortly after that I was contacted by a Chief Pilot. The FO and I both decided that in the interest of safety; it would be wise to remove ourselves from any further flying duties for the remainder of the day; as an adrenaline crash was looming for both of us. Cause: It is not totally clear to me what the causal factors for this event were. Based on the FOD that was swirling across the runway; one possibility could be wake turbulence that drifted over from a landing aircraft on Runway 25L that may have caused the aircraft to veer to the right. The communication difficulties that we encountered with the vehicles could have been avoided. Talking with the personnel at the gate; their common practice at PHX is to use a discreet frequency to talk with aircraft. We were never given this frequency; nor was the crew told to switch to Tower frequency by ATC."
Aircraft X; PHX-ZZZ: Rejected takeoff above 80KIAS due to directional control issue. No other abnormal indications. After all clear from the trucks; we taxied back to gate and shutdown normally.I was PF as FO (First Officer). Aircraft handling normal through 80KIAS. At about this time; I noticed FOD ahead on the runway; but it appeared to be no larger than a paper towel. Then I saw a second similar object. I did not maneuver to avoid since they were small; but shortly after passing over them; the aircraft pulled off center requiring rudder input to correct. I felt the CA on the rudders as well; and recognized that he was initiating a rejected takeoff. Estimated speed between 110-120KIAS; well below V1 of XXX KIAS. Callouts; decel; and stop were in accordance with SOP; after which CA PA'd the cabin to remain seated while I [notified ATC] over Tower frequency.Besides the directional control issue; there were no other cockpit indications of any anomalies. It took a while to establish comms with the response vehicles; during which I powered on the brake fans and APU with CA consent. We remained on the runway until Fire Chief told us nothing appeared unusual. We coordinated to taxi back to a gate with two fire trucks following us. Parking; shut down; and deplaning all normal and uneventful. CA made a logbook entry; while I called the hotline. CA reported the incident to Dispatch Duty Pilot as well. Out of an abundance of caution; we removed ourselves from the rest of the day's operation.During a debrief with the Fire Chief; I highlighted the challenges with getting on frequency with them. He explained their protocol to be on Single Frequency Approach; but Tower did not have the wherewithal to push us to that frequency. Fire pro-actively found us on Tower frequency so we could coordinate their response safely. While this was not disruptive to the event; it could have been managed better by Tower Control.Cause: Possible FO (Foreign Object) or wind/atmospheric anomaly like a dust devil since the FOD was swirling at runway centerline.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
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