Citing an Embraer 195 takeoff that was based on erroneous takeoff data, the Dutch Safety Board says operators should be more aware of touchscreen entry issues, including the “fat finger problem,” that can complicate data entry.
The recommendation was included in the board’s final report on a Sept. 12, 2021, serious incident at Berlin Brandenburg Airport involving a 195-E2 that took off with an amount of takeoff thrust that was calculated using erroneous takeoff data. The report said that the flight crew had conducted the takeoff from intersection L5 but with performance calculations based on a takeoff from Intersection K5; the available runway length was 1,320 m (4,331 ft) shorter than the length used in the calculations.
“The selected thrust setting was such that the acceleration of the aircraft was too slow to safely take off from intersection L5,” the report said, noting that the airplane was airborne 443 m (1,453 ft) before the end of the runway — a dis…
