Once a flight reaches maximum speed on the runway, it is safer to take off than to abort, even without one engine.
DENVER — The pilot of Border Flight 4345 aborted takeoff Friday night. A person walks onto the runway and enters the path of the aircraftthe flight is approaching the point of no return.
The flight from Denver to Los Angeles was aborted during takeoff after someone walked onto the runway at Denver International Airport and entered the plane’s path, causing an engine fire.
According to public data, the flight was traveling at 127 knots, or approximately 146 miles per hour. AviaSim flight instructor Austin Hoelting said the flight’s maximum abort speed was 140 knots, or 161 miles per hour. This speed, called V1, is determined based on a number of factors, including runway distance, weather and the weight of the aircraft.
“If anything happens before that, we just turn the throttle back to zero and let the plane stop on its own,” Holting said during a flight simulation.
Hoelting demonstrated to 9NEWS a simulated scenario in which the aircraft came to a stop at 127 knots and then took off due to engine failure at 140 knots.
“The plane is flying so fast that there isn’t enough runway to stop,” Holting said of what happens once that limit is exceeded. “Once you get above that speed, you’re determined to take off because it’s safer to get into the air if you encounter any problems than to stay on the ground, and you’re more likely to start moving away from the end of the runway.”
He said pilots practice engine failure emergencies several times a year.
“Engine failure before takeoff and engine failure after takeoff are among the most common failures,” he said.
After the takeoff was aborted, 224 passengers and 7 crew members were eventually evacuated due to smoke in the cabin.
The airport reported that 12 passengers suffered minor injuries, five of whom were taken to hospital. It was unclear whether the injuries were caused by an aborted takeoff or the evacuation of the aircraft.
“Probably one of the most difficult decisions is to direct an evacuation because you know that every time you ask an aircraft to evacuate, there’s a high likelihood that someone will get hurt because people are trampling over each other in panic,” Holting said. “Almost a lot of common sense goes out the window in this situation.”
Denver police will investigate the crash on the runway, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement Monday. this The NTSB is still determining Whether an emergency evacuation situation needs to be investigated.
