Investigation starts into why Tu-154 missed runway
Spanish investigators are probing an incident at Barcelona International airport last month in which an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-154M landed on a taxiway instead of the runway.
According to Spanish civil accident investigation bureau CIAIAC, the incident occurred at around 13:50 on 27 February, when the 17-year-old trijet (RA-85644) was completing a flight from Moscow Sheremetyevo.
CIAIAC says that early indications show that the aircraft was supposed to be on approach to Barcelona's 3,100m (10,160ft) runway 25R, but landed on the adjacent taxiway "T" instead. This runs parallel to runway 25R, but is displaced by about 250m to the right.
It is unclear what type of approach the Tu-154M was conducting, although the runway's instrument landing system may have been unavailable at the time. The airport has been unable to confirm the status of the runway's navigation aids.
Until last year Barcelona had just a one east-west runway – 25/07 – which became 25R/07L in October when a new parallel 2,660m runway 25L/07R was opened.
The two runways are around 1,300m apart, and 25L/07R is thought to have been closed at the time of the incident, but the airport has not been able to confirm this.
"We have opened an investigation on the event," says the CIAIAC. It adds that none of the passengers and crew members on board was injured, but that the investigation agency is unable to provide further information on the circumstances.
DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Source: Flight International
