Two planes narrowly avoided construction workers by just 14 feet, according to a recent report. A Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 exceeded the runway limits during takeoff from Melbourne Airport en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, passing close to work vehicles by approximately seven feet. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) revealed that the runway had been shortened temporarily for resurfacing, leading to the incident. Additionally, the report highlighted another event where a Bamboo Airways Boeing 787 also overran the same runway towards Hanoi, Vietnam, passing construction works by less than five feet. Fortunately, no physical injuries were reported, although one worker experienced a stress-related injury during the second occurrence.
The ATSB report disclosed that the runway was temporarily reduced from 12,000 feet to about 6,853 feet, with both flight crews being informed of the change before departure. The ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell noted that neither crew acknowledged the significant runway reduction despite receiving relevant information in their flight briefings. Although the crews accessed weather information mentioning the shortened runway, they failed to communicate the reduced length to air traffic control.
The report emphasized that each airline’s flight dispatcher accounted for the temporary runway length before takeoff, although this detail was not prominently highlighted in the crews’ pre-flight briefings. However, the report stated that the aircraft could still safely depart from the reduced runway length with appropriate power settings. Following the incidents, Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority have revised procedures to provide essential aerodrome information concerning runway works that reduce available runway lengths.
Malaysia Airlines and Bamboo Airways have been contacted for comments regarding the incidents.