QantasLink planes crashes through runway lights during take-off at Mildura Airport
A QantasLink aircraft has been damaged when it was wrongly lined up with the edge of a runway and crashed through lights during take-off in Victoria.
Two pilots from Qantas’ regional offshoot have been stood down pending the outcome of an investigation by regulators and the airline
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is probing the February 25 runway excursion involving the Dash-8 aircraft at Mildura Airport, the busiest regional airport in Victoria.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Just prior to first light, the aircraft was inadvertently lined up with the edge lights for runway nine rather than the runway centre line,” the ATSB said in an initial summary of the incident.
“During the take-off roll the aircraft struck and damaged multiple runway edge lights.”
The aircraft was realigned when the flight crew realised they were in the wrong position and continued the take-off.
“On arrival in Melbourne, it was identified that the aircraft had sustained minor damage,” the ATSB said.
According to Flightaware, the aircraft did not take to the sky again until March 5.
“QantasLink is investigating an incident at Mildura Airport last month and is supporting the ATSB and CASA as they conduct their own investigations,” a Qantas spokesperson said in a statement.
The ATSB is currently in the “evidence collection” phase of its probe.
Originally published on 7NEWS
