Close to Catastrophe: SAS Airplane Tries To Take Off From Taxiway, Will get Up To 120+ MPH
Goodness gracious, two Scandinavian Airways (SAS) pilots are going to have some explaining to do (due to Hans for flagging this)…
SAS pilots speed up to 107 knots on Brussels taxiway
This incident occurred on Thursday, February 5, 2026, and includes SAS flight SK2590, scheduled to function from Brussels (BRU) to Copenhagen (CPH). The 470-mile flight was purported to be operated by an Airbus A320neo with the license plate SE-ROM, and there have been 135 folks onboard.
The airplane was operating delayed — whereas it was purported to depart at 8:30PM, it ended up solely departing at 9:44PM. Nevertheless, it by no means truly obtained off the bottom.
The pilots had been purported to taxi out to runway 7R. As an alternative, they turned too early, and ended up beginning their takeoff roll on taxiway V1, which is parallel to the runway (presumably they had been planning on doing a midfield takeoff). The pilots accelerated on the taxiway, to the purpose that the airplane reached 107 knots (123 miles per hour), which is approaching the airplane’s typical takeoff velocity (130+ knots).
The factor is, the taxiway is means shorter than the runway, in order that they had been rapidly operating out of area for his or her takeoff roll. So that they then began decelerating, and reportedly ended up on the very finish of the taxiway, even partially within the grass, with overheated brakes. Passengers and crew needed to get off the airplane by way of stairs, and take buses to the terminal.
These onboard describe this as a terrifying incident, with the airplane coming to a really abrupt cease. What’s maybe most terrifying is that the realm the place the airplane stopped was simply wanting the airport’s gasoline tanks. That would’ve ended very, very poorly.
Climate circumstances on the time of the incident had been positive, in order that doesn’t seem like an element right here. In a press release, the airline shared that “security is our absolute precedence,” and “we’re at the moment conducting a radical inner investigation alongside native authorities to grasp the sequence of occasions.”
That is actually dangerous, and this was a really shut name
This isn’t the primary time that pilots have tried to take off on a taxiway, and it additionally actually received’t be the final. It’s under no circumstances widespread, but it surely does occur.
That being mentioned, this is among the worst variations of this that I’ve ever seen. That’s as a result of this was an extremely shut name. A overwhelming majority of the time when this occurs, the pilots rapidly notice what’s happening, and are available to a cease with room to spare.
On this case, the airplane obtained to such a excessive velocity that it was solely capable of come to a cease on the very finish of the taxiway, even partially ending up off of it.
This can be a actual head-scratcher. With the variety of flights that function day by day, some incidents are certain to occur. Nonetheless, runways and taxiways look fully completely different when it comes to their lighting, so it’s superb that neither of the 2 pilots realized one thing was mistaken once they began their takeoff roll.
It’s dangerous sufficient for this to occur within the first place, and for pilots to rapidly notice the error. However to speed up for that lengthy, solely to then run out of taxiway is de facto puzzling.
Backside line
An SAS Airbus A320neo tried to take off from a taxiway at Brussels Airport. The pilots lined the airplane up with a taxiway parallel to the runway, accelerated the plane, and it reached 107 knots, earlier than they aborted the takeoff.
The problem is, the taxiway was a lot shorter than the runway, so the pilots discovered themselves with an unenviable alternative, the place they neither had enough distance to cease with a security margin, nor did they’ve sufficient distance to take off. So the airplane ended up partially off the taxiway, not removed from the airport’s gasoline tanks.
It’ll be fascinating to see what an investigation into this incident reveals.
What do you make of this SAS A320neo takeoff mess?
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