Belgian investigators have released their preliminary report on the serious incident involving Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight 2590 on 5 February 2026. Pilots commenced their takeoff roll while still on a taxiway before realizing they were not on the runway and rejected the takeoff. The aircraft was able to stop on a paved area adjacent to a taxiway. No one onboard was injured.
What happened?
SK2590 was cleared for departure from Brussels Airport on Runway 07R via Taxiway C6. The aircraft taxied via Taxiway Outer to C6. Instead of continuing to Runway 07R, the captain turned the aircraft onto the parallel taxiway.
The crew completed their checklists and commenced their takeoff roll. The first officer made the “100 knots” call out as the aircraft continued to accelerate. According to investigators, “the captain, having observed that the forward view appeared increasingly narrow, did not respond immediately.”
“The first officer later reported finding it unusual that the captain did not respond in accordance with SOPs, as normally expected. The first officer looked outside and immediately recognized that the aircraft was not on a runway. The first officer stated, “No, this is wrong,” and subsequently issued the command, “Stop, stop, stop, stop.” The captain initiated the stop almost immediately.”
The captain moved the thrust to full reverse and began braking at 21:04:09 at which point the aircraft began to slow from its maximum speed of 127 kt.
Noticing the impending end of the taxiway and a construction fence just beyond the end of the taxiway, the first officer instructed a right turn. The aircraft came to rest near Taxiway C1.
“We are OK, but something went very wrong, stand-by”
Airport rescue and fire fighting (ARFF) was dispatched and no damage to the aircraft nor airport equipment was found. The aircraft stopped just in front of the runway guard lights, leading the crew and airport personnel to make the decision to offload passengers via stairs and bus them back to the terminal.
Next steps
- Investigators plan to focus on the following areas for additional investigation:
the actions, workload, training, communication and working environment of both the flight crew and the air traffic controller officers;
- air traffic control (ATC) procedures;
- the Operator’s procedures;
- the aerodrome layout, including available lighting and signage;
- the performance of the A-SMGCS system, including its reliability, associated procedures, effectiveness of the existing safety nets and ATC training;
- and the potential use of additional on-board or ground-based systems that could help prevent similar occurrences
For its part, SAS has already begun the process of equipping its fleet with Airport Moving Map (AMM) technology, which shows the current position of the aircraft on a detailed map on the flight deck.
32 Responses
Maybe the rush on that cokpit ? I hope that very soon all civil aircraft must be equipped with the AMM ,the ground signals are often not clear.
In some place the position on AMM is not accurate (gos spoofing for example). Always crosscheck.
Rather than AMM I would think a RAAS mandate would be more useful in preventing future occurrences of this type of incident
They didn’t check the heading if aligned with runway
But the runway and taxiway are parallel?
The taxiways are a paler surface and the Runways are a darker surface. Any experienced Captain would know that. The lines on the Runways are white as well. At that Junction where the skipper turned left onto taxiway 19-0, which is clearly marked 19-0. It also clearly shows runway 07R and 25L dead ahead. One job…he only had one job. Pay attention and get the people home safely. He needed to concentrate for a few hours that day. And then he could enjoy the flight as well. Complacency Kills.
I think it would have made no difference, anyway, as the taxiway/runway are parallel…
How would that have helped? It’s the same as the intended runway.
They were alignef with runway, but didnt ask , why notbcorrect markings, lights, etc. And no.use of airfield layout, and obcviously GPWS didnt have the extra runway protection features
Tell me you don’t understand what happened without telling me you understand what happened.
Dont comment again if this is your level of knowledge pls
It’s parallel to the runway, so same heading. But… VERY different lighting and sizes…
The taxiway is parallel with the runway. It would still show same heading.
The aircraft flight crew did not verify the magnetic heading against the runway heading.
They did not take into account the ground marking “RWY 07R Ahead” displayed on the pavement, nor the associated lighting signals.
They also failed to consider the difference in surface between the taxiway and the runway, as well as the runway markings and the different lighting colours used for runway edge lighting compared to taxiways.
The PNF (Pilot Not Flying) must cross-check these elements and react immediately.
The thing is that it was parallel to the Rwy so it d be aligned
Same heading.
Paralell taxiway
They were the same. AMM is not the answer. We’ve been flying for decades and decades without it, and somehow competent pilots have always figured out how to get onto the proper runway for takeoffs.
Similar to the 2006 Comair Flight 5191 crash, but luckily with no fatalities.
Even my small RV-8 has a very accurate moving map display with taxiways & runways both on the Garmin AERA 660 and SkyDemon tablet.
About time all airliners get AMM!
Great that the copilot was observant and called STOP x 4!
FLY SAFE!
Sincerely
Thomas Damm
Captain & Acciden Investigator SAS (retired)
I can see exactly where I am on my mobile phone when taxi ing using off line maps
It’s concerning how the captain didn’t respond immediately to the narrowing forward view, especially given that SOPs are clearly in place for a reason. The fact that the first officer had to recognize the error so quickly highlights just how critical situational awareness is during takeoff rolls. Hopefully, this incident leads to a stronger emphasis on crew resource management training, particularly in high-pressure moments like this one.
Being in a hurry to make a specific time and good safety are mutually exclusive, as usual. Lucky people. Also need to start fining idiots with too much hand luggage, it happens everywhere all the time.
Are SAS aircraft not equipped with a RAAS system?
(Runway Awareness and Advisory system)
Why didn’t the tower notice?
The markings and width of a runway is far different from that of a taxiway! They definitely weren’t paying attention or they were very fatigued would be the only excuse.
This incident is extremely concerning. Passengers put their faith and trust in the flight crew. Money spent on training the captain obviously has had no effect. Well done to the PM.
Perhaps the captain will take cognisance of the fact that they are the ones who have more flying hours and should be ready to take over in the event of an emergency. Taxiway or runway? mmmm, I’ll take the taxiway and hopefully no one will notice.
A perfect example of why a commercial aircraft needs TWO aircrew in the cockpit!
But they were two…
The ATC and captain clearly stuffed things up.also the layout of the runway and taxiway needs addressing. This should never happen.
Hello ! Question – here is Landing and TakeOff RWY lights: https://img.flugrevue.de/_/bg:FFFFFF/f:best/h:1238/rt:fill/w:2200/plain/1550128.jpg
So the question – die Frage ist wie kann man das mit: https://aerosavvy.com/airport-lights/
verwechseln ??
Sind die Piloten und Copiloten So unter Stress, dass die das nicht – kaum mehr beachten ??
Bitte um Eure feedbacks.
Aren’t taxiway lights blue and runway lights white, yellow or red depending on your position thereon?
I literally can’t believe that an advanced aircraft and airline like SAS doesn’t have a moving map option! Even some microlights have them!