Two planes carrying hundreds of passengers narrowly missed construction workers by just a few feet during departures from Melbourne Airport, a new report reveals.
According to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A330 overran the runway while taking off for Kuala Lumpur, passing work vehicles by roughly seven feet. Eleven days later, a Bamboo Airways Boeing 787 on a flight to Hanoi overran the same runway, clearing construction works by less than five feet. The ATSB noted that in both incidents, jet blast affected the area where personnel and equipment were present.
No physical injuries were reported, although one worker suffered a stress-related injury in the second incident. The runway had been temporarily shortened from 12,000 feet to about 6,853 feet for resurfacing work. Both flight crews had been notified of the change prior to departure, but failed to specifically note the reduced runway length during pre-flight briefings, according to ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell.
The report stated that despite these oversights, both aircraft were able to safely depart using appropriate power settings. Following the incidents, Airservices Australia and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority updated procedures to better communicate critical aerodrome information regarding runway modifications.
Malaysia Airlines and Bamboo Airways have been contacted for comment.
