Canberra Airport, annotated by the ATSB

A Virgin Australia ATR 72 was forced to abort a take-off attempt after lining up and accelerating on a “considerably shorter” runway than instructed at night.

The ATSB revealed the incident took place at Canberra Airport in September 2019 and the departure was only stopped after both air traffic control and the flight crew realised the mistake simultaneously.

Significantly, while take-off power had not been applied, flight data indicated the ATR 72’s power levers had been advanced to commence take-off.

The ATSB’s acting director of transport safety, Kerri Hughes, said, “The complexity of some airport runway and taxiway layouts can be exacerbated by reduced visibility conditions, such as at night or in poor weather, which can easily increase flight crew confusion.

“This investigation highlights the need for flight crews to familiarise themselves with complex runway layouts, particularly any unique designs, and ensure effective flight crew co-ordination is employed to minimise the risk of a runway incursion.”

The flight crew of the 25 September 2019 flight to Sydney had elected to depart Canberra Airport’s runway 35 from intersection G (‘Golf’), based on aircraft performance considerations, environmental conditions and the short distance between their parking bay and the runway holding point.

While taxiing to the holding point at intersection Golf, the flight crew completed their departure review. Just before reaching the holding point, the flight crew advised air traffic control (ATC) they were ready for take-off. After clearing the aircraft for take-off, ATC deactivated the stop bar and the lead-on lights were illuminated.