An investigation right into a Croatia Airways Airbus A220-300 plane which veered off the runway throughout its take off position at Cut up Airport virtually two weeks in the past is ongoing, with evaluation of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight information recorder (FDR), in addition to interviews with the crew, at present happening. All 137 individuals onboard the plane have been safely evacuated. The left-hand Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine of the eleven-month-old A220-300 struck a runway signboard through the tour. Each Airbus and Pratt & Whitney have joined the probe, which is commonplace process in such incidents. Lead investigator Darko Petrin of Croatia’s Air, Maritime and Railway Accident Investigation Company (AIN) confirmed the investigation had begun and that intensive technical analyses have been underway to find out the reason for the drift throughout takeoff. It has been formally labeled as a critical incident by aviation authorities.
Croatia Airways’ Director of Operations, Davor Mišić, stated, “This can be a new plane, solely eleven months previous, with slightly below 2.000 flight hours”. He declined to invest on doable causes corresponding to technical failure or human error, stating, “It’s troublesome to say at this second, so I might not speculate. The investigation has begun and can proceed till all particulars are clarified”. Last conclusions might take months. Aviation specialists notice that the evaluation of cockpit recordings, flight information and technical methods can typically take a number of months earlier than investigators are in a position to decide precisely what occurred within the moments earlier than the plane left the runway. New footage taken from contained in the cabin reveals the moments resulting in the incident.
A passenger touring on a Croatia Airways Airbus A220-300 captured video displaying the plane veering away from the runway whereas rushing up for takeoff at Cut up Airport. pic.twitter.com/bh1pOw6R5n
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Though the official investigation isn’t concluded, out there information, together with video evaluation and the plane’s acceleration dynamics, level to the potential of a sudden lack of energy within the left engine through the essential acceleration part, earlier than reaching V1. The uneven thrust created a robust yawing second to the left. Alternatively, official meteorological studies affirm that the airfield was experiencing heavy rain showers, decreased visibility and sudden wind gusts reaching as much as 27 knots on the time of the incident. Because of this, investigators are trying into whether or not a sudden extreme crosswind gust through the essential high-speed part of the takeoff destabilised the plane, forcing the pilots to provoke the emergency abort.
Croatia Airways is betting practically its whole future on the A220 and the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan platform. The A220-300 concerned within the incident, registered 9A-CAN, stays out of service. Harm to the plane is described as minimal, impacting the entrance touchdown gear and with minor harm to the left engine. Croatia Airways’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, had beforehand flagged 2026 as “significantly demanding” for the provider with seven plane inductions and 5 phase-outs operating in parallel as the corporate continues to transition to an all-A220 fleet.
