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| Date: | Monday 20 July 2020 |
| Time: | 07:19 |
| Type: |  Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner |
| Owner/operator: | United Airlines |
| Registration: | N16009 |
| MSN: | 40938/828 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2019 |
| Engine model: | GE GEnx-1B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 73 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG) -
 France
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Newark-Liberty International Airport, NJ (EWR/KEWR) |
| Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG/LFPG) | |
| Investigating agency: | BEA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
An easyJet Europe Airbus A320-214 (OE-IJF) and a United Airlines Boeing 787-10 (N16009) were involved in a runway incursion incident at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, France.
The A320, easyJet flight U23955 to Malaga, Spain, was cleared to line up on runway 09R for departure. At the same time the B787, United flight UA57, was on approach to runway 09L. The crew of N16009 was then cleared to land on runway 09R. The crew read back and offset to land on runway 09R. The crew of the OE-IJF, cleared to line up on runway 09R for take-off, detected the situation and reported it on the frequency. The crew of N16009 aborted the approach and overflew the A320 at an height of about 100 m.
Contributing factors
- The controller's management of traffic at that time primarily on runway 09R (one landing, two departures and two crossings of that runway to come);
- The controller's concern with the change of position from LOC NE to LOC NW;
- The controller's lack of practice, related to the decrease in traffic during the COVID-19 health crisis;
- The use of the non-standard phrase "Understand" by the crew of the Boeing 787, rather than "Confirm", which might have attracted more attention from the controller.
On the day of the occurrence, the LOC NE position in the control tower, normally occupied by a LOC controller in an east-facing configuration, was initially not operational. From the LOC NW position used as a fallback position, the controller in the LOC position did not have direct visual contact with the thresholds of runways 09. This situation may have contributed to the lack of identification of the change of trajectory on the final approach of the Boeing 787 and the resulting conflict with the Airbus A320 cleared to line up on the same runway.
The vigilance of both crews, in particular the verification by the Airbus A320 crew of the final approach axis before the alignment and the identification by the Boeing 787 crew of the aircraft being aligned on the runway, contributed to avoiding a potential collision on the runway. At the same time, the controller in the PREVOL/SOL position also acquired visual contact on the Boeing 787 performing a bayonet.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/event/serious-incident-to-the-boeing-787-registered-n16009-operated-by-united-and-to-the-airbus-a320-regis/
Location
Images:
Track of UA57
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Aug-2020 11:53 | harro | Added |
| 01-Aug-2020 12:05 | harro | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 25-Jul-2021 10:51 | harro | Updated [Total occupants, Narrative, Accident report, Photo, ] |
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