An investigation into a Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-300 aircraft which veered off the runway during its take off role at Split Airport almost two weeks ago is ongoing, with analysis of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and the flight data recorder (FDR), as well as interviews with the crew, currently taking place. All 137 people onboard the aircraft were safely evacuated. The left-hand Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine of the eleven-month-old A220-300 struck a runway signboard during the excursion. Both Airbus and Pratt & Whitney have joined the probe, which is standard procedure in such incidents. Lead investigator Darko Petrin of Croatia's Air, Maritime and Railway Accident Investigation Agency (AIN) confirmed the investigation had begun and that extensive technical analyses were underway to determine the cause of the drift during takeoff. It has been formally classified as a serious incident by aviation authorities.
Croatia Airlines’ Director of Operations, Davor Mišić, said, "This is a new aircraft, only eleven months old, with just under 2.000 flight hours". He declined to speculate on possible causes such as technical failure or human error, stating, "It is difficult to say at this moment, so I would not speculate. The investigation has begun and will continue until all details are clarified". Final conclusions could take months. Aviation experts note that the analysis of cockpit recordings, flight data and technical systems can often take several months before investigators are able to determine exactly what happened in the moments before the aircraft left the runway. New footage taken from inside the cabin shows the moments leading to the incident.
A passenger traveling on a Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-300 captured video showing the aircraft veering away from the runway while speeding up for takeoff at Split Airport. pic.twitter.com/bh1pOw6R5n
— durvesh (@BLackgold_5) May 23, 2026
Although the official investigation is not concluded, available data, including video analysis and the aircraft’s acceleration dynamics, point to the possibility of a sudden loss of power in the left engine during the critical acceleration phase, before reaching V1. The asymmetric thrust created a strong yawing moment to the left. On the other hand, official meteorological reports confirm that the airfield was experiencing heavy rain showers, reduced visibility and sudden wind gusts reaching up to 27 knots at the time of the incident. As a result, investigators are looking into whether a sudden severe crosswind gust during the critical high-speed phase of the takeoff destabilised the aircraft, forcing the pilots to initiate the emergency abort.
Croatia Airlines is betting nearly its entire future on the A220 and the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan platform. The A220-300 involved in the incident, registered 9A-CAN, remains out of service. Damage to the aircraft is described as minimal, impacting the front landing gear and with minor damage to the left engine. Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, had previously flagged 2026 as “particularly demanding” for the carrier with seven aircraft inductions and five phase-outs running in parallel as the company continues to transition to an all-A220 fleet.
That looks scary from inside the plane
ReplyDeleteAt least this incident demonstrated that modern aviation safety systems and crew training work as intended. The outcome could have been much worse.
DeleteScary indeed
Deletemust have been frightening.
DeleteNot for the guy with headphones - took him forever to realize something was going on and even then he kept his headphones. Zero survival skills.
DeleteThere is a reason headphones are not allowed to be used during taxi takeoff and landing. But it's rarely enforced.
DeleteThe A220 is still a relatively young aircraft type in Europe compared to othe types. Every serious incident involving it will naturally attract attention.
ReplyDeleteThe fact the aircraft suffered only limited damage after leaving the runway is somewhat remarkable considering the conditions described.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wonder is why vertical stabiliser has not been used at all?
DeleteOne of main investigation points should be exactly that.
How did the depart without the vertical stabaliser??
DeleteThey didn't.
DeleteYou mean rudder? It seems you are quite an expert :)
DeleteFor your information vertical stabiliser and rudder work together.
DeleteIt seems you are an expert from Vrapce.
Anon above, yeah...35 years of career in aviation tought me nothing. Stabiliser is fixed vertical surface snd rudder is movable attached to it. How on earth do you think they work together?
DeleteI thought prayer is used to get the plane up and down. So many passengers praying helps the plane take off and land. The pilot gets an applause 👏 🙌 at the end of the ordeal.
DeleteThe airline’s entire future strategy depends on the A220 programme succeeding. Incidents like this inevitably create additional pressure internally.
ReplyDeleteStrategy and OU do not go in single sentence.
DeleteEveryone is focusing on the engine, but 27-knot gusts during a rejected takeoff are no joke either.
ReplyDeleteThis incident will probably become a case study for A220 operations in adverse weather conditions once the investigation is complete.
DeleteIt will be interesting to see whether the final report recommends any procedural or operational changes for future A220 operations.
DeleteI’m more interested in why the airport remained operational in such weather conditions if gusts and visibility were deteriorating so rapidly.
DeleteI am sure that they would already announceed wind as a main culprit if it was really the reason.
DeleteSo long silence without any piece of information seems to me that they try to hide something or at least to avoid responsibility.
Yes likely
Delete09.34
DeleteFully agree. Plus they are trying to switch to weather, at least partly, or even better as much as possible, pretty obvious combination of engine failure and not entirely appropriate human factor response to it. But hey, who cares, it's Bright and Shiny, operating to Minken and Vrankvurt. And entire Croatia, the state, professional and general, remain silent. Not only to this case. To treason in OU going on for decades now. And I don't know should I laugh or cry. Bitterly, in both cases
Treason. Rather hyperbolic sir
DeleteWeather was fine. Visibility and wind above minimums and limitations.
DeleteI would never even try to guess what’s the reason for this accident. Let’s wait investigation until the end. Hundred of possible factors, combinations of all together, Swiss cheese model.
The plane was over weight, bc of so many passangers. Now we have over full planes and again you have unhappy ones who doesnt respact Jasmin, Misic, Misetic, Zabo work.
Delete12.19
DeleteNothing hyperbolic about treason in OU. Actually it should have been written in capital letters: TREASON. There are countries which were literally built around their port, airport and airline, Singapore for example. And we allowed thieves and mafiosos to ruin and destroy everything, not only in aviation. So, yes, it is treason, in full meaning of the word. Sir.
Croatia Airlines seems to be going through one challenge after another lately.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope they stay afloat
Delete"Both Airbus and Pratt & Whitney have joined the probe, which is standard procedure in such incidents."
ReplyDeleteThere is one aviation 'expert' in Croatia who claims that this is highly unusual and shows there is something wrong with the engines lol.
Or that no one from OU has said anything. Yet "Croatia Airlines’ Director of Operations, Davor Mišić, said,"
Delete@09:14 thats perfectly standard for any more serious incident
Delete@10:00 Standard for what precisely? If you answer this question, you will understand 9:14
DeleteMinimal damage is relative. Even a “minor” engine strike on a modern aircraft can lead to long inspections and very expensive repairs.
ReplyDeleteThe professionalism of the crew should not be overlooked here. Managing a high-speed reject and evacuation requires discipline and training.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIt is their job for God's sake.
DeleteThat's what they are trained and paid for.
Do you know if they got an applause?
DeleteIf the engine power loss theory is confirmed, Pratt & Whitney will face even more uncomfortable questions from airlines already dealing with GTF reliability concerns.
ReplyDeleteThe airline is lucky the aircraft remained upright and controllable throughout the excursion.
ReplyDeleteModern aircraft structures are durable. Years ago, a runway excursion in similar conditions could have resulted in much more severe damage.
DeletePeople forget that rejecting a takeoff at high speed can sometimes be more dangerous than continuing airborne, depending on the circumstances.
ReplyDeleteThe crew will probably replay those few seconds in their minds for the rest of their careers, regardless of the investigation outcome.
DeleteCroatia Airlines probably hopes the aircraft can return quickly because every A220 counts during this fleet transition period.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't any airline hope that. But it will probably be out of action for some time. First due to ivnestigation, then it needs to be fixed.
DeleteFrom that image with the covered engines, does not look like OU expects it to fly anytime soon.
DeleteDoes insurance cover the cost of the repairs?
DeleteIt’s not like they need extra capacity with their flight reductions left, right and centre.
DeleteI wonder how much the airline’s insurance premiums will increase after this.
ReplyDeleteIs this the first runway excrusion for the A220?
ReplyDeleteSecond
DeleteJetBlue Airways (June 2025)
On June 12, 2025, a JetBlue Airbus A220-300 (registered as N3242J) suffered a runway excursion after landing at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). The aircraft rolled off the runway and came to a stop in a grassy area. All passengers and crew exited safely without injuries, though the incident caused temporary inbound flight delays.
Thanks. What was the reason for that one?
DeleteThanks anon 09:35.
DeleteAs this is already the second case it might point to the structural problem of airplanes or engines.
Not good.
The Jet Blue 'incident' can hardly be called that. It veered off the paved runway into a grassy area while attempting to turn onto a taxiway. But it was hardly a safety breach.
DeleteThere’s quite a few more interesting incidents. Go to avherald.com and put BCS3 in the search box.
DeleteAnd BCS1, it’s basically the same aircraft anyway.
DeleteThis one is interesting, you can read the full article on the avherald site:
DeleteTransport Canada and FAA: EAD for BCS1 and BCS3 due to autopilot inadvertent engagement during takeoff
By Simon Hradecky, created Thursday, Nov 24th 2022 16:53Z, last updated Thursday, Nov 24th 2022 16:53Z
Transport Canada (TC), Canada's Civil Aviation Authority, have released Emergency Airworthiness Directive CF-2022-64, which was followed by FAA also releasing their Emergency Airworthiness Directive 2022-25-51 requiring all Bombardies C-Series CS-100 and CS-300 aircraft (also known as Airbus A220-100 and A220-300) to incorporate the following warning into the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM):
WARNING
Autopilot engagement during takeoff roll can result in premature
rotation, possibly leading to tail-strike, inability to climb or loss of
control. Immediate crew intervention is required.
TC stated as background of this EAD:
Several in-service events have been reported whereby the crew inadvertently engaged the autopilot while attempting to either engage the autothrottle late into the takeoff phase or when re-engaging the autothrottle. Engaging the autopilot below 400 feet (ft) above ground level is prohibited by the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM). Currently, the autopilot engagement is not inhibited and with sufficient speed will cause the aeroplane to command a pitch increase to capture the Pitch Target Marker which may cause premature rotation, including at speeds below V1 at the time of autopilot engagement. Premature aeroplane pitch up will require the crew to intervene immediately as required, and depending on the speed, could lead to a tail-strike. If the crew does not reject the takeoff, auto-rotation below Vr may result in low-energy lift-off.
^ looks like it's related to this incident
DeleteA fun fact, yesterday after the storm and in windy weather (around 16knots) in Zagreb, Dash8 landed on first try without holding, while all of the A220 were holding. Could it be connected to the incident?
ReplyDeleteCould be that the airline added adittional procedures it poor weather.
DeleteInteresting, they'll miss those Dash8s if that's the case, especially for island and coast ops in the winter
DeleteHow bad it was to decide to have single type fleet of A220 by retiring Q400!
DeleteRegardless of the outcome, this incident will likely influence Croatia Airlines’ internal procedures and risk assessments moving forward.
DeleteCroatia Airlines’ maintenance and operations teams are probably under enormous pressure right now.
DeleteRightly so
DeleteWill the runway itself undergo additional inspections or friction testing after this incident?
ReplyDeleteusually it’s a sequence of smaller events lining up at the wrong moment.
ReplyDeleteI also think several factors might have been at play here.
DeleteWill this delay Croatia Airlines’ future A220 deliveries?
ReplyDeleteDoubt it. But their deliveries are delayed due to Airbus manufcaturing delays.
DeleteWhy would it delay?
DeleteA serious incident involving a nearly new aircraft is never good publicity, especially during a major fleet renewal campaign.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Even isolated incidents can affect public perception of a new aircraft type.
DeleteI think it is usual that investigators issue interim safety recommendations before the final report is completed. So maybe we will know the outcome sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteAre the deliveries of the rest still on? It's almost peak summer season and no A220-300 were delivered thus far
ReplyDeleteThey took delivery of 1 A220 this year
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2026/03/croatia-airlines-takes-delivery-of.html
Yes the A221. "A further six aircraft will enter the fleet by the end of the year, bringing the total number of A220s to fourteen "
DeleteSo 6 still missing
But there are definitely delays too
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2026/05/croatia-airlines-a220-delivery-delays.html
They should already have a clear picture from the flight data recorder.
ReplyDeleteShiny. New. Oh wait…
ReplyDelete