Two pilots sacked for attempted take off from taxiway

[Andrew McLaughlin]

What the? I could understand calling at Siera on Bravo 10 or Lima but Charlie and BRavo 10?

Originally Posted by NickN

Definately happens, Air Canada is one of the worst, they seem to do it quite often.

Yep, Air Canada uses 16L/34R all the time...

[Nigel C]

Originally Posted by Adrian B

What the? I could understand calling at Siera on Bravo 10 or Lima but Charlie and BRavo 10?

There's a dirty great big yellow sign on the left side as you make the turn from Twy Charlie into Bravo-10 that says CONTACT TWR 124.7. Most of the time they announce to Twr that they're on frequency and ready.

The taxiing instructions they get often say to 'cross Rwy 07 and hold short of Twy Sierra', and if they're an international flight or not RPT they often also get told to 'Contact Twr 124.7 as you turn left into Twy Bravo-10'. If they don't report ready at this time, the Tower asks them if they are ready, and if not then to report when ready.

[Grahame Hutchison]

They may call ready early on in the taxi out, but my point was that the "clear for takeoff" would normally come as they approach the holding point (unless it was extremely quiet).

[NickN]

Yep, Air Canada uses 16L/34R all the time...

Your a real comedian McLaughlin.....

I meant call in early, not use the runway.

[Owen H]

The parallel taxiways adjacent to the runway *may* have contributed. I don't know the specifics, but I can very easily see how an aircraft that has gone down the "outer" of the taxiways and then turned at the end towards the threshold and then taken the first left (the parallel taxiway) rather than onto the runway first. He would have appeared to ATC to be approaching the holding point, and unless there was other traffic been given a takeoff clearance this is likely to happen, especially when its a takeoff only runway.

Remember that the taxiways in HK are probably wider than many of the runways they use.

None of this excuses the mistake, but I can see how that could happen.

Grahame,
Its not unusual overseas to be given a takeoff clearance well before the holding point, especially places with single mode runways.