Human error and the absence of critical infrastructure at Goa’s Manohar International Airport led to the aborted take-off of an Air India flight to Hyderabad last December, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has said in its final report released on Sunday.
The incident took place on December 5, 2024, when Air India flight AIC 2592, an Airbus A320 carrying 151 passengers and seven crew, began its take-off roll from a taxiway instead of runway 28. The aircraft accelerated to 124 knots on taxiway ‘E’ around 9.17 pm before Air Traffic Control (ATC) noticed the mistake and intervened. Visibility at the time was 3,000 metres, and no injuries were reported.
The AAIB attributed the near-miss to a “situational awareness deficit,” described as “a lack of, or impairment in, an individual's ability to perceive, understand, and project their surroundings and situation, leading to potential errors or accidents.” The report stressed that addressing such deficits through adequate training is critical to safety.
Investigators found that ATC’s issuance of take-off clearance likely narrowed the crew’s focus to executing the manoeuvre, creating expectation bias and cognitive overload. This impaired their ability to spot visual cues showing they were aligned on a taxiway rather than the assigned runway.
Both the take-off clearance and final checks were completed while the aircraft was still on taxiway ‘E’, near its intersection with another taxiway.
The crew had also failed to comply with taxi instructions requiring them to enter Taxiway ‘A5’ before lining up for departure.
The report pointed to infrastructural shortcomings as well. The airport is not equipped with an Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS), which the AAIB said could have enhanced ATC’s situational awareness given the airfield’s layout.
The bureau has recommended improvements in Electronic Flight Bag procedures, stricter cross-checks by crew, revisions to ATC procedures, and consideration of installing an A-SMGCS at the airport.