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.
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