777 versus workmen on an Auckland Runway

An Emirates 777 pilot noticed workmen and equipment toward the departure end of his takeoff runway midway during his takeoff and increased to max power in order to safely clear them. New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) says it is investigating the incident, which occurred at around 16:15 local on 22 March at Auckland airport.

The “normal full-length operations on the runway in use, 05R, [in terms of] the declared accelerate-stop distance available (ASDA) is 3,623m (11,900ft)”. However “the effective ASDA from taxiway A10 at the time of the incident was 2,170m,” TAIC air accident investigator Peter Williams said. Equipment in the work area included a truck and a car. The runway work was scheduled between 19 March and 8 April. Advice to pilots was included in the Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) broadcast received by pilots on taxiing, the widely disseminated notice to airmen and the operator’s briefing package” - available to Emirates and any other airline operating into Auckland. Following on from the Garuda 747 versus Indian Missile fiasco (link), it brings into question once again the utility and probity of the International and domestic NOTAMS (Notices to Airmen) system.  For Related Story