British Airways jet flew from wrong runway

LONDON, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The combination of a trainee air traffic controller and an inexperienced pilot put a jetliner in danger in the West Indies in 2009, officials say.

An Air Accident Investigation Report into the "serious incident" found the British Airways plane took off from a section of runway that was not long enough for the type of aircraft, The Independent in Britain said Thursday.

The incident in September 2009 occurred after the crew taxied onto the wrong runway – one that was more than 2,100 feet too short – and became airborne with only about 300 feet of runway left, the newspaper said.

The Boeing 777 was flying from the Caribbean holiday island of St. Kitts to Antigua, and carried 87 passengers. Among them was a station engineer that realized the jet was in the wrong position. He rushed forward to warn the pilot, but was forced to sit down just as the plane went airborne.

The co-pilot was making his first takeoff from the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, and a trainee air traffic controller was in the tower, The Independent said.

The investigation found authorities had not installed any taxiway or holding-point signs after a 2006 renovation, and that the air traffic control officer failed to warn the flight crew they were in the wrong position.