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?

Nothing in Avherald which, absent reports by mainstream media, is where I'd expect to see it covered first.

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.

A "twin-engined jet" at Gatwick doesn't narrow it down much. :O

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..

Have re-checked with my source and it was believed to have a been a Norwegian aircraft but cannot tell if it was a 787 or 737

I hope he has a good lawyer.

Not saying it didn't happen, just looking for evidence it did.

A date a little more precise than "recently" would help in deciding whether or not it happened.

Unless and until we actually know what "this" was, we have no hope of understanding the how or why.

Many moons ago there was a Braniff (might be someone else) 747 took off and ATC lost sight of her. Think it lost an engine - sure someone will confirm with the correct info.

08L
 

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.

Hmmm. A confusing, hypothetical explanation for one possible scenario surrounding an unconfirmed event.

OK, I know PPRuNe is a rumour network, but let's not get too carried away. :O

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 ;)