| Occurrence Briefs are concise reports that detail the facts surrounding a transport safety occurrence, as received in the initial notification and any follow-up enquiries. They provide an opportunity to share safety messages in the absence of an investigation. |
What happened
On 23 August 2019 at approximately 1620 Western Standard Time, the crew of a Fokker 100 was commencing take-off from Perth Airport, Western Australia for a regular public transport flight. The captain was pilot monitoring and the first officer was pilot flying.
During the take-off run, the first officer’s seat suddenly moved back. As the seat slid back, the first officer released the control column so as not to pull it back with him, and was unable to reach the pedals once the seat had stopped at the aft limit.
The aircraft then veered slightly to the right of the runway centreline and the first officer declared, ‘Handing over’. The captain immediately took over control of the aircraft and conducted a rejected take-off.
The operator suspected that the locking mechanism on the seat had failed.
Safety message
This incident highlights the importance of a rapid and decisive handover/takeover procedure undertaken by the crew, which was demonstrated in this occurrence.
The US Federal Aviation Administration publication, Aviation Instructor’s Handbook, includes further information and guidance on the positive exchange of flight controls.
About this report
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.