A taxiway takeoff attempt by a Transavia Boeing 737-800 has sparked an investigation by the Dutch Safety Board (DSB), according to aviation website The Aviation Herald. It reportedly tried to use a taxiway for take-off.

The Transavia Boeing 737-800 registration number PH-HSJ operating as flight number HV-1041 was flying from Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport (AMS) to Chania International Airport (CHQ) in Greece.

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A Transavia 737-800 tried to take-off using a taxiway. Photo: Transavia

According to the Aviation Safety Network, citing the DSB, the incident occurred on Friday, September 6th at around 06:00 local time.

The Transavia flight was heading to the holiday island of Crete

The regularly scheduled flight to the Greek holiday island of Crete was taxing along taxiway C to take off from runway 18C.

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The aircraft was supposed to take-off on runway 18C. Photo: Transavia

As the aircraft neared the end of the taxiway the crew radioed Schiphol control tower saying:

"Goedendag, Transavia one zero four one ready for departure".

The controller in the tower then cleared the flight for takeoff on runway 18C replying:

"One zero four one goedeidag line up eighteen center, cleared for takeoff."

The flight crew repeated the instruction back to the tower saying:

"Line up one eight center, cleared for takeoff one zero four one."

The flight then radioed the tower to ask:

"May we take Whiskey two, one zero four one?"

This was in reference to the W2 intersection that leads up to runway 18C.

The Transavia pilot made a wrong turn

This intersection, however, is from taxiway D and not taxiway C which they were on. The tower replied to the Transavia jet in Dutch saying,

"Ja maar da's wel een eind omrijden."(“Yes, but that is a detour”).

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The tower ordered the pilot to abort the takeoff. Photo: Transavia

Now instead of making a left turn onto runway Charlie the pilot took the first rather than second left and lined up on taxiway Delta and proceeded to attempt takeoff.

On seeing what was happening the controller in the tower immediately radioed the aircraft telling them to abort the takeoff:

"Transavia one zero four one-stop immediately, stop immediately, hold position."

Map of where the incident occurred. Image: DSB

There was no other traffic on the taxiway

The pilot of the Transavia 737-800 stopped the takeoff and taxied to runway 18C where the plane took off normally.

Being so early in the morning it was still dark and there was no other traffic on the taxiway at the time of the incident.

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The Dutch Safety Board has ordered a short investigation. Photo: Transavia

On their take on the incident, the Dutch Safety Board wrote:

"The airplane taxied in a northerly direction on taxiway Charlie to runway 18C when it received takeoff clearance for runway 18C. The flight crew then drove on taxiway Delta in a southerly direction and commenced the takeoff. Air traffic control noticed this and instructed the crew to stop immediately. The crew aborted the takeoff run and taxied back to the beginning of runway 18C, after which the airplane took off uneventfully."

Formally branded as Transavia.com and now incorporated as Transavia Airlines C.V. is a Dutch low-cost subsidiary of Dutch national flag carrier KLM. As such Transavia Airlines is a part of the larger Air France-KLM Group with its main base at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Transavia France is Air France’s equivalent low-cost airline.

Currently, Dutch Transavia operates an all-Boeing fleet of six Boeing 737-700s and 46 Boeing 737-800s.

Regarding the incident, I am a little surprised that the aircraft was allowed to continue its flight considering that they had just tried to take-off from a taxiway.

What do you think? Please let us know in the comments.