2011-02 · NASA ASRS report 931834
CLT Controller described a loss of separation event between an arrival and departure on Runway 36C; noting questionable spacing judgment and 'rushing' as factors that lead to the separation loss.
I just relieved a controller from the Local Control Center (T) position. As a heavy B767 crossed the threshold cleared to land; I instructed a B717 to 'line up and wait be ready to go' on Runway 36C. As I gave the B717 those instructions; another Air Carrier was just inside of 4 NM final cleared to land Runway 36C. I instructed the heavy B767 to exit the runway at Taxiway E8 without delay; which he complied. As the heavy B767 was turning to exit the runway at the high speed Taxiway E8; I quickly instructed the B717 to be ready for an immediate departure; which he acknowledged. When the heavy B767 safely exited the runway; I cleared the B717 for an immediate takeoff. The B717 was very slow on his departure roll. As the B717 started rolling down the runway; the arriving Air Carrier was closing in on final to Runway 36C. As I realized the aircraft may be closing in on an unsafe proximity; I alerted the other controllers in the Tower of my situation and that I may possibly have a go-around. When the arriving Air Carrier was short final; I keyed the frequency to instruct him to go-around; but said the wrong call sign in the go-around instructions. At that same time; the B717 was becoming airborne. About 2-3 seconds went by when I realized my mistake; and I keyed up the frequency again and gave the go-around instruction to the arriving Air Carrier. The arriving Air Carrier replied to the instruction by advising that it was too late for him to go-around and that he was landing the aircraft. When briefed it was determined that separation was lost and the aircraft involved were separated by an estimate of 4;500 FT. The only recommendation I have is for myself to use better judgment when determining an appropriate departure interval and not 'rushing' to clear departures for takeoff.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.
Loading the flight search…
Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.
We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.
Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.
Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.