A LOT Polish Airlines Embraer E175 and an Enter Air Boeing 737 were involved in a potential near-miss incident in Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) on March 17, 2023.
The LOT Polish Airline’s Embraer E175, registered as SP-LIB, started to taxi out to the runway at 7:48 AM local time (UTC +1) to operate flight LO481 from WAW to Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL). It began to turn onto runway 15 at 7:55 AM local time (UTC +1), commencing its takeoff roll shortly after.
Meanwhile, the Enter Air Boeing 737-800, registered as SP-ESC, was operating flight ENT51UA from Basel Mulhouse-Freiburg EuroAirport (BSL) to WAW. It landed on runway 11 at 7:55 AM local time (UTC +1), according to flightradar24.com data. At one point, runway 11/29 intersects with runway 15/33. The Enter Air narrow-body aircraft continued rolling on runway 11 before turning onto taxiway N2, E2, and finally to its designated gate.
As the 737 was rolling on the runway, the LOT Polish Airlines Embraer E175 was on its takeoff roll. The aircraft’s ground speed peaked at 63 kilometers per hour (39.1 miles per hour) and in a matter of five seconds, it lost half of its ground speed, flightradar24.com data shows. At 7:58 AM local time (UTC +1), the E175 turned onto the nearest taxiway, namely O1, before approaching runway 15 once again at the same spot. The LOT Polish Airlines aircraft successfully took off at 8:05 AM local time (UTC +1), landing at OSL an hour and 40 minutes later.
According to a social media post by a passenger who was onboard the LOT Polish Airlines’ flight LO481 to the Norwegian capital, the pilots “slammed on the brakes, even the aircraft slid”.
RadarBox.com data shows that the Enter Air Boeing 737 was at an altitude of 25 feet at 07:54:46 AM local time (UTC +1), while the ground speed of the LOT Polish Airlines Embraer E175 peaked at 07:54:22 AM local time (UTC +1). At 07:55:25 AM local time (UTC +1), the ground speed of the E175 was 6 knots (11.1 km/h, 6.9 mph).
A LOT Polish Airlines spokesperson in a statement to AeroTime clarified that the reason the Embraer E175 rejected the takeoff was “due to an indication in the cockpit”. According to them, the narrow-body jet taxied back and took off to OSL, with the remainder of the flight being “uneventful”.
As such, “there was no near-miss situation,” concluded the airline’s spokesperson.
The WAW aerodrome chart by Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) shows taxiway A4, which crosses runway 11/29, as a potential runway incursion hot spot, “where runway incursions have taken place”. However, the chart has not highlighted the spot where the two runways intersect as a “hot spot”.
Additionally, PANSA, in a statement to AeroTime, clarified that the Embraer E175 “was accelerating for takeoff when the crew rejected takeoff at low speed reporting some failure indication”. The spokesperson indicated that the aircraft “stopped well clear of the intersection with runway 11”, following which, air traffic control (ATC) inquired whether a runway inspection was needed. “The crew advised a runway inspection was not needed,” concluded the spokesperson for PANSA.
The airport’s press office directed AeroTime to PANSA for comment. AeroTime approached Enter Air, PKBWL, and PANSA for comment.
UPDATE March 20, 2023, 10:40 AM (UTC +3): The article was updated with a statement from LOT Polish Airlines.
UPDATE March 20, 2023, 11:00 AM (UTC +3): The article was updated with a statement from PANSA.
