Romanian investigators have disclosed that a departing Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-300 destroyed several runway edge lights, as well as signage, during take-off from Bucharest last month.
The aircraft was bound for Istanbul on 17 April, says the Romanian authority AIAS.
It states that the twinjet (TC-LOC) had travelled along taxiway D to runway 26L, from which it took off, in darkness, at 22:32.
After it departed, ground personnel observed that 10 edge lights on the north side of the runway – as well as a sign indicating the taxiway G exit – had been destroyed.
Other damage was also found on the shoulder of the runway on the same side, according to preliminary information from the inquiry.
AIAS says the aircraft landed at Istanbul about 1h later but stopped on one of the taxiways when the crew reported a technical problem with the nose-gear.
It states that Bucharest airport’s administration replaced the broken lamps “immediately”, without having to suspend operations from 36L.
AIAS has yet to reach conclusions over the incident, and explain the reason for the A330’s apparent misalignment. None of the 258 passengers and 10 crew members was injured.
