During the takeoff roll, the pilots of the Fairchild SA227 Metroliner noticed the unusually slow increase in airspeed. Because they were uncertain whether there was enough runway remaining to safely stop, they continued the takeoff, then realized that the covers were still on the pitot tubes. They returned to land safely at Townsville, Queensland, Australia, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said.
The two pilots — the only people on board the Sharp Airlines cargo flight — were not injured in the Feb. 10, 2025, incident, and the airplane was not damaged. Although the incident occurred in February, it was not reported to the ATSB until July 18, 2025, because of a reported administrative error, the bureau said.
The ATSB said, in its final report on the incident, that the pilots had not recognized during the takeoff roll that the overly slow increase in airspeed indications “was symptomatic of blocked pitot tubes and, as a result, did not reject the tak…
