GATWICK northern runway
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GATWICK northern runway
There is a rumour that a twin engined jet took off as cleared using the northern runway recently at Gatwick and only just cleared hardware at the eastern end. Does anybody know anything about this?
At least one similar incident (SunWing 737 at BFS) was only picked up after substantial delay and in that case there was damage to ground equipment.
There are plenty of Spotter's reports of aircraft only just airborne at end of strip which are down to optical illusions and/or normal operation of flex thrust or t/o from an intersection.
I guess if there was an incident it will be reported in AAIB Bulletin in due course.
As for "hardware at the eastern end" of the northern runway, it's hard to see what that could have been. You could roll for another kilometer beyond the end of the 08L TORA and unless you were unlucky enough to encounter a taxying aircraft, the first thing you would hit would be the jetties on stands 4/5.
If you really do mean that a departing aircraft only just cleared one on the ground, I think we would have heard about it by now without waiting for an AAIB report.
The AvHerald aren't the authority, I have been aware of plenty of incidents which never appeared on their site. So just because it isn't there, it doesn't mean it didn't happen..
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I don’t quite understand how this could have happened. At Gatwick you are not cleared for take off until you have entered the runway. Also you are normally told to line up behind an arriving or departing aircraft.
08L TORA is about 600 metres less than 08R. A take-off from 08L using performance figures for a reduced thrust take-off from 08R would fit this scenario. Just guessing though.
Think I saw that one, sometime in the 80s, when I was working outdoors in Brighton. It did two circuits at about 800', dumping fuel at sea before returning to Gatwick. They said that it lost an engine, taking off in a crosswind, and clipped the trees.
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Mr Angry,
We’re going back many years! Not sure of details but do as a pilot vividly remember a story of an aircraft, operator unknown, losing an engine (even 2, 747?) from LGW which disappeared from towers sight! Story went that the flight engineer was a major saving factor as was dumping fuel before the gear retraction was even complete.....
If true makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up!
30W
We’re going back many years! Not sure of details but do as a pilot vividly remember a story of an aircraft, operator unknown, losing an engine (even 2, 747?) from LGW which disappeared from towers sight! Story went that the flight engineer was a major saving factor as was dumping fuel before the gear retraction was even complete.....
If true makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up!
30W
OK, I know PPRuNe is a rumour network, but let's not get too carried away.
Mr Angry, I remember it as a Continental 747 which had an engine surge due to crosswind. Friends of mine in Concorde House thought it had hit Russ Hill, as did the controller who hit the crash alarm. Stories in the paper included a farm hand on Russ Hill ducking for cover whilst being doused in Jet A1 