— · AIRBUS A321 231 · 2016-01-29 · Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Event
NTSB number
OPS16IA004
Event ID
20160201X52407
Type
Incident
Date
2016-01-29
Location
Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Coordinates
26.071666, -80.149719
Injuries
Highest injury
—
Fatal
0
Serious
0
Minor
0
Uninjured
0
Total aboard
0
Aircraft
Make
AIRBUS
Model
A321 231
Registration
N587NK
FAR Part
121
Engines
2
Damage
—
Conditions
Light
NITE
Weather
VMC
Probable cause
The air traffic controller's failure to ensure the runway surface area was clear of vehicles before clearing an aircraft for takeoff. Also causal was the flight crew's decision to initiate a takeoff while the Runway Status Lights (RWSL) Takeoff Hold Lights (THLs) were activated. Contributing to the incident was the lack of a standard procedure for vehicle operators to request runway clearances and resultant "hear back/read back" error between the vehicle operator and the air traffic controller.