Vancouver-bound pilot confused left and right, leading to aborted takeoff

London Gatwick's control tower is seen. (Gatwick Airport)

A Vancouver-bound flight that never made it off the runway at London’s Gatwick Airport last summer was grounded by its co-pilot mistakenly pulling back with his left hand, rather than his right.

The Boeing 777, operated by British Airways, was scheduled to depart at 11:20 a.m. on June 28, 2024, but the co-pilot quickly realized and vocalized his mistake, according to a report from the U.K.’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch released this week.

The flight’s commander and the co-pilot followed the plane’s “rejected takeoff (RTO) procedure,” stopping the aircraft “some distance before the end of the runway surface,” the report reads.

Airport fire crews responded and extinguished a fire sparked by hot brakes on the plane’s right main landing gear, and no one was injured in the incident.

The runway was closed for 50 minutes and 23 flights were cancelled as a result of the RTO, according to U.K. media reports from the time.

The AAIB report indicates the co-pilot had recently returned from two weeks of vacation when the incident occurred.

At the point in the attempted takeoff when he would normally move his left hand while preparing to pull back on the right column with his right, the co-pilot “unintentionally pulled his left hand back instead,” the report reads.

“The resulting ‘action sequence’ resembled the RTO or landing manoeuvres, rather than a normal takeoff,” it continues, noting that the co-pilot “instinctively” pushed the thrust levers forward again, before deciding to commit to the RTO instead.

The report classifies the incident as an “action slip” – a routine action that is not performed as intended – noting that there was “no obvious reason” for the co-pilot to be primed to pull the wrong levers.

“For example, he had not recently changed aircraft seat or type, or practiced landings or RTOs in a simulator, and he could not identify a reason for it on the day,” the report reads.

The co-pilot “reported being well-rested and feeling fine,” according to the report. He had 6,156 hours total flying time at the time of the incident, but his last flight had been on June 14, two weeks prior to the incident.

The AAIB report notes that British Airways had published guidance for its pilots emphasizing “methodical control selections,” mental preparation and focus.

“Preventing action slips is an ongoing challenge for operators and crew,” the report concludes. “Even experienced pilots may benefit from mentally rehearsing the takeoff roll and other routine procedures, especially after returning from time off.”