Two pilots sacked for attempted take off from taxiway

[Peter D]

"Two Hong Kong Airlines pilots have been sacked after trying to take off from a taxiway rather than the main runway at the city's airport, a report said Sunday.

The pair, an Indonesian captain and Argentinian co-pilot, were only stopped by an alert air traffic controller who saw them speeding on the taxiway and warned them to stop, according to the Sunday Morning Post.

Their Boeing 737 was carrying 122 passengers and seven crew, the report said.

The flight, bound for Cheongju in South Korea from Hong Kong International Airport, took off after the aborted attempt on September 13.

Taxiways at the airport run the full length of the runways but are narrower, have green lighting and no lights down the centre, the paper said.

The two were dismissed after an investigation by the southern Chinese city's Civil Aviation Department, which recommended improvements to lighting and marking at the airport, one of Asia's busiest.

The pilot told management he was not making a takeoff and was merely travelling at speed, the report said."


http://www.smh.com.au/travel/two-pilots-sacked-for-attempted-takeoff-from-taxiway-20081215-6ykc.html

[NickN]

The pilot told management he was not making a takeoff and was merely travelling at speed, the report said

What was he doing then?

"I wasn't trying to take off sir, I was just going really really fast to show the passengers a good time."

[Nigel C]

I find this comment interesting:

Taxiways at the airport run the full length of the runways but are narrower, have green lighting and no lights down the centre, the paper said.

Shouldn't that read blue lighting if it's not down the centre?

The other giveaway is that taxiways have yellow painted markings, runways have white.

[Andrew McLaughlin]

Shouldn't that read blue lighting if it's not down the centre?

The other giveaway is that taxiways have yellow painted markings, runways have white.

Plus, taxiways don't have those big numbers and piano keyboard type thingies painted on em either??? :p:rolleyes::D

[Grahame Hutchison]

Interesting that they would have received a takeoff clearance if they had not called ready from the Runway holding point. An ATC eyeball or ground radar would have confirmed this before a takeoff clearance was given.

[Adrian B]

Just trying to improve on time performance

[NickN]

Next there will be departures direct from the gate!:D:D

[Nigel C]

Interesting that they would have received a takeoff clearance if they had not called ready from the Runway holding point. An ATC eyeball or ground radar would have confirmed this before a takeoff clearance was given.

They often call ready well before the runway holding positions at Sydney, for example on the turn from Charlie to Bravo-10 when heading for 16L/34R.

[Adrian B]

They often call ready well before the runway holding positions at Sydney, for example on the turn from Charlie to Bravo-10 when heading for 16L/34R.

What the? I could understand calling at Siera on Bravo 10 or Lima but Charlie and BRavo 10?

[NickN]

What the? I could understand calling at Siera on Bravo 10 or Lima but Charlie and BRavo 10?

Definately happens, Air Canada is one of the worst, they seem to do it quite often.

[Andrew McLaughlin]

What the? I could understand calling at Siera on Bravo 10 or Lima but Charlie and BRavo 10?

Definately happens, Air Canada is one of the worst, they seem to do it quite often.

Yep, Air Canada uses 16L/34R all the time... :eek:

[Nigel C]

What the? I could understand calling at Siera on Bravo 10 or Lima but Charlie and BRavo 10?


There's a dirty great big yellow sign on the left side as you make the turn from Twy Charlie into Bravo-10 that says CONTACT TWR 124.7. Most of the time they announce to Twr that they're on frequency and ready.

The taxiing instructions they get often say to 'cross Rwy 07 and hold short of Twy Sierra', and if they're an international flight or not RPT they often also get told to 'Contact Twr 124.7 as you turn left into Twy Bravo-10'. If they don't report ready at this time, the Tower asks them if they are ready, and if not then to report when ready.

[Grahame Hutchison]

They may call ready early on in the taxi out, but my point was that the "clear for takeoff" would normally come as they approach the holding point (unless it was extremely quiet).

[NickN]

Yep, Air Canada uses 16L/34R all the time...

Your a real comedian McLaughlin.....

I meant call in early, not use the runway.

[Owen H]

The parallel taxiways adjacent to the runway *may* have contributed. I don't know the specifics, but I can very easily see how an aircraft that has gone down the "outer" of the taxiways and then turned at the end towards the threshold and then taken the first left (the parallel taxiway) rather than onto the runway first. He would have appeared to ATC to be approaching the holding point, and unless there was other traffic been given a takeoff clearance this is likely to happen, especially when its a takeoff only runway.

Remember that the taxiways in HK are probably wider than many of the runways they use.

None of this excuses the mistake, but I can see how that could happen.

Grahame,
Its not unusual overseas to be given a takeoff clearance well before the holding point, especially places with single mode runways.