MELBOURNE- The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has initiated inquiries into Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 runway excursion occurrences at Melbourne (MEL) during take-off that transpired within a two-week span in September.
Both of these incidents occurred when runway overlay maintenance was being conducted on Runway 34 at Melbourne Airport. These maintenance activities led to a temporary reduction in the length of the runway, although it remained in operation for take-offs.
ATSB Probes A330 and 787 Runway Excursions
The first of these two incidents occurred on September 8 and involved a Malaysia Airlines (MH) Airbus A330-300 (registration 9M-MTL) en route to Kuala Lumpur.
Less than two weeks later, on September 18, a Bamboo Airways (QH) Boeing 787-9 (registration VN-A819) experienced a runway excursion during takeoff on a flight bound for Hanoi.
“During the respective night take-offs from runway 34, each aircraft reportedly rotated past the temporarily displaced threshold, resulting in jet blast affecting people and objects in the work area,” stated the ATSB.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, but the jet blast from the Bamboo 787 caused damage to several unserviceability lights.
Searching Evidence
Following these two incidents, Melbourne Airport has suspended any activities requiring a displaced threshold. The ATSB is gathering evidence of these serious incidents and anticipates issuing a final investigation report in the first quarter of 2024.
According to Cirium fleets data, the Malaysia Airlines A330 (MSN1395) was delivered to the airline in 2013. It has two Pratt & Whitney PW4170 turbofan engines and is configured to accommodate 290 passengers.
The Bamboo 787 (MSN62736) was delivered to the airline in 2019 under lease from Chinese lessor CALC. It is powered by two GEnx engines and features 294 seats.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News.
