A plane aborted take-off on a Gatwick runway after its co-pilot muddled up his left and right hands, investigators have found.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the error resulted in the aircraft’s brakes catching fire.
The June 28th, 2024 incident – involving a British Airways flight to Vancouver, Canada – led to a 50-minute runway closure and 23 cancelled departures at the West Sussex airport.
334 passengers and 13 crew members were on board during the incident, according to the AAIB report.
Investigators said the co-pilot “unintentionally” moved a lever to his left when he was supposed to move a lever to his right instead.
The plane “stopped some distance before the end of the runway” but airport firefighting crews were called to put out a fire on the right-hand landing gear.
There were no reported injuries.
