Pilot praised for role in averting high-speed crash at Dublin Airport

A plane taking off from Dublin Airport and travelling at nearly 250km/h had just 360m to spare when it stopped short of another aircraft that had mistakenly entered the runway.

A report into the potentially catastrophic incident recognised the quick action of the pilot, who carried out a high-speed rejected take-off when she spotted the wayward aircraft at the far end of the runway.

For the crew of the Ryanair 737-800, it should have been a routine take off from runway 16 on May 21, 2011, for a flight to Vilnius, Lithuania. However, as the aircraft accelerated, the two pilots spotted the Monarch airbus. The conversation, recorded on the cockpit black box, heard them say “Where’s that Mon[arch]/ Where’s that guy going?” 17 seconds into their take-off routine. The next comment was “he’s taxiing out in front of us,” followed two seconds later by an order to stop.