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The ATSB will not investigate the aborted take-off that left an Etihad 787 stuck overnight on Melbourne Airport’s north-south runway this week, saying flight crew acted appropriately.
The Dreamliner, A6-BLN, suffered tyre damage in the emergency stop on Sunday night and could not be immediately cleared from the runway, forcing it to close for around 14 hours. Aviation rescue firefighters were able to cool the landing gear with foam.
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In a statement, the transport safety watchdog said it had gathered enough information and would not launch a probe into the incident.
“As reported to the ATSB, during the take-off roll for a scheduled passenger flight from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi, the flight crew observed a high exhaust gas temperature indication from the aircraft’s right engine, and rejected the take-off in line with standard operating procedures,” an ATSB spokesperson said.
“During the high-speed rejected take-off, two of the aircraft’s tyres deflated. No further damage or injuries were reported.
“The relevant information from the incident has been added to the ATSB’s occurrence database.”
As reported by The Australian, high exhaust gas temperatures can indicate problems with the engine including combustion issues, fuel system malfunctions, or damage to turbines or compressors.
A spokesperson for Melbourne Aircraft confirmed following the incident that the plane, which was operating flight EY461 to Abu Dhabi at the time, had been removed by Monday morning.
“The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service responded to a request from the aircraft and deployed fire fighting foam as a precaution. All 289 passengers safely disembarked the aircraft and were bussed to the terminal yesterday evening,” the spokesperson said.
Passengers were later rebooked by Etihad onto alternative flights.
Melbourne Airport currently operates two runways, one north-south and another east-west. A third runway greenlit last year, built parallel to the existing north-south runway and 1.3 kilometres to the west, is planned to open in 2031 and will allow for simultaneous take-offs and landings.
Dr Chrystal Zhang, aviation expert at RMIT, said the third runway is badly needed despite noise concerns.
“A third runway will enhance Melbourne Airport’s operational capacity and help minimise flight delays. It will accommodate more traffic, improve the passenger travel experience and reduce airline operational cost,” she said.
