A passenger aircraft overran the runway at Timaru Aerodrome after a miscommunication between its two pilots during takeoff.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has released its final report into the February 2024 incident involving a Q300 aircraft operated with 36 passengers and three crew on board.

The first officer, concerned about a flock of birds approaching the takeoff path, reduced the rate at which the aircraft’s nose was being raised.

He intended to continue the takeoff at a lower pitch attitude to fly beneath the birds, but did not communicate this to the captain.

The captain interpreted the movement as a rejected takeoff and immediately reduced power and applied hard braking.

The aircraft overran the end of the runway by approximately five metres.

There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft.
The commission found the incident occurred after the aircraft had passed V1, the speed at which a pilot must commit to continuing a takeoff because insufficient runway remains to stop safely.

Investigators identified two key safety issues: a breakdown in crew communication during a critical phase of flight, and the risks created by deviating from standard takeoff procedures, even when responding to a perceived threat.

The commission said no formal recommendations were necessary as the operator had already acted on the safety issues.

The airline has since issued guidance on bird strike decision making, reinforced standard takeoff procedures after V1, strengthened crew resource management training, and expanded simulator training to include bird strike and rejected takeoff scenarios.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​