Passengers ‘terrified’ as pilot slams brakes after mistaking taxiway for runway

Holidaymakers looking to jet off to Copenhagen were floored when the flight they were on was cancelled after the pilot attempted to take off from a taxiway in a “terrifying” incident at 125 miles per hour

Passengers endured a “terrifying” incident when a pilot had to slam the brakes of the plane just moments before taking off, allegedly mistaking the taxiway for the runway. The incident took place at a horrifying speed of 125 miles per hour, but thankfully no one was injured.

SAS flight SK2590, set to fly from Brussels, Belgium to Copenhagen, Denmark, ended up being cancelled on Thursday (February 5) following the botched take-off. The Airbus A320neo, carrying 165 passengers, tried to take off from the taxiway, which is meant for ground manoeuvring, not take-offs or landings.

The flight was reportedly already running about an hour and 15 minutes late when the incident took place. According to local reports, the aircraft hit a top speed of roughly 125mph before abruptly halting the take-off.

The crew realised they were rapidly running out of runway as the taxiway is shorter. After hitting the brakes on the plane, passengers temporarily stranded after the aircraft ended up partially on a grassy patch with its brakes overheated.

Simon Berneblad Mandegård was among the passengers on the ill-fated flight. He told NeedToKnow: “The airport was under heavy pressure because of snow and delays, and everything felt quite intense.

“We taxied out as normal, lined up, and suddenly began accelerating like a regular take-off. But after gaining quite a lot of speed, something clearly wasn’t right.

“The pilot suddenly slammed on the brakes, extremely hard, and the whole cabin felt the force immediately. There was a sharp manoeuvre to keep the aircraft on the paved surface, and you could feel how close we were to running out of space.

“It was a very dramatic moment.” Simon also recalled that emergency services were quick to arrive at the scene to check whether there was an issue onboard the flight.

According to the passenger, the pilot explained to those on board that in his 28 years of flying, he’d never encountered such a situation. He suggested that potential miscommunication with air traffic control could have been the reason for the near-miss.

The passenger further added: “Thankfully everyone was safe, but it was definitely one of the most intense situations I’ve ever experienced on a plane.” Other passengers described the halted take-off as “terrifying”.

There were no reported injuries and the flight was subsequently cancelled. SAS confirmed an “irregularity” had taken place and passengers were evacuated from the aircraft just before midnight.

Alternative flights to Copenhagen were arranged for the passengers. The airline further stated: “Safety is our absolute priority. We are currently conducting a thorough internal investigation together with local authorities to understand the sequence of events.”

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