Nose wheel snag, pilot error may have led to Jet flight veering off runway

A snag in nose wheel steering or a pilot error may have led to the veering of Jet Airways Mumbai-bound Boeing 737 flight at Goa airport on Tuesday morning.

The incident took place  at 4.45 am  when the aircraft carrying 154 passengers and seven crew was lining up for take off at the runway. Ten passengers were hurt during evacuation.

An investigation is underway to find the reasons behind the incident. Investigators will check the aircraft digital flight data recorder to know the cause.

Investigators will also check runway surface conditions and the work patterns of the pilots.

The Boeing aircraft veered 250 metres off the runway and its nose gear collapsed after getting bigger down in soft ground. 

Human error may have led to the incident. An incorrect application of take off go around thrust (TOGA) can lead to runway excursions. "If the switch is pressed at an inappropriate time, before stabilising of thrust  and proper line up on the runway, the aircraft can achieve take off thrust and lose directional control," a senior commander said.

The other probability could be a malfunction in aircraft auto throttle system which is designed to provide the required level of thrust to engines in various stages of flight.

" I believe that in light of the Boeing 737NG in the past  having issues with nose wheel and main wheel there could also be a  possibility of the nose wheel steering or the tiller being unresponsive to pilot input thereby preventing the aircraft from being aligned with the runway heading in time for take-off," said aviation consultant Mark Martin.

“A significant factor that emerges with this incident in Goa is that morning winds at Dabolim Airfield tend to gust between 15Kts (28 km/per Hour)  to 30 kts (68 km/per hour) during between 0500 and 0900 which as we know commonly know as the “Sea-Breeze-Land-Breeze” phenomena;  and as a result, this may have also acted as an external force factor with deviating  Boeing 737off its assigned runway heading and eventually off the runway," Martin added.