Two aircraft carrying numerous passengers narrowly avoided construction workers by a mere 14 feet, as per a recent report. A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 overshot the runway during takeoff from Melbourne Airport en route to Kuala Lumpur, passing work vehicles by approximately seven feet.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), the runway had been shortened temporarily for resurfacing operations. Another incident occurred just 11 days later when a Bamboo Airways Boeing 787 also overshot the same runway while departing for Hanoi, Vietnam, passing construction works by less than five feet. The ATSB stated that in both cases, the works area with personnel and equipment was affected by jet blast.
Fortunately, there were no physical injuries reported in either occurrence, although a worker experienced a stress-related injury during the second incident. The runway had been temporarily reduced from 12,000 feet to about 6,853 feet, with both airlines’ staff being informed of the change before their flights.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell mentioned that neither flight crew realized the significant runway reduction, despite being provided with relevant information in their flight briefing packs. Although the crews accessed a version of the ATIS mentioning the shortened runway, they only relayed weather information to air traffic control, neglecting to mention the reduced runway length.
The ATSB report emphasized that each airline’s flight dispatcher accounted for the temporary runway length before takeoff, but this detail was not prominently highlighted in the crews’ pre-flight briefings. However, both aircraft managed to depart safely from the shortened runway with appropriate power settings.
Following the incidents, Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority have implemented procedural changes to ensure the dissemination of crucial aerodrome information related to runway works that reduce available runway lengths. Malaysia Airlines and Bamboo Airways have been contacted for comments on the matter.
