Report finds fresh details about Vietnam Airlines 787 takeoff overrun
Dhaka: A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9, which overran the runway before lifting off from Munich Airport last month, recorded repeated brake inputs during the takeoff roll, according to an interim report by German investigators.
The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) said flight recorder data showed brake pedal movement at the left pilot's seat, followed by brake activation shortly after the takeoff roll began. A second braking event from the left-seat pedals occurred shortly before the crew raised the nose.
The BFU has not determined whether pilot action or a technical malfunction caused the inputs. Investigators have retained brake-system components and other parts of the aircraft for examination.
The aircraft was departing Munich for Hanoi on August 15, carrying 271 passengers, 12 cabin crew, and four pilots. Nobody was injured, but the jet sustained substantial damage.
During the takeoff roll, the indicated airspeed stayed near 168 knots for about 18 seconds. The right-seat pilot increased engine thrust shortly before liftoff.
The crew began raising the nose before the aircraft reached its calculated rotation speed. The 787 continued beyond the runway and the clear area, becoming airborne from the grass. Its tail section and both main landing gear struck parts of the approach-lighting system.
The pilot flying from the left seat was 64 and had logged 27,182 flight hours. The designated pilot in command, who had been in the left jump seat during takeoff, took over the controls after liftoff.
Vietnam's aviation authority had earlier identified a possible braking problem based on preliminary information, including the crew's account.
After climbing away, the crew dumped 62 metric tons of fuel and returned to Munich about two hours later. Four tires on the left main landing gear were found badly damaged.
However, investigators could not recover cockpit audio from the takeoff, as the voice recorder stores only two hours of audio, and that portion had been overwritten.
