RA-82041 in RTO

Antonov AN124, registration RA-82041 of the Russian Air Force suffered an RTO (Rejected Take Off) on R24 at Shannon this lunchtime. The aircraft, msn 9773054055089 was operating flight RFF 8072 at the time. The Antonov 124 requires an engine run at 50% power for 4 or 5 minutes prior to takeoff to allow certain engine components reach temperature. This was carried out as normal.

Five or six seconds after rolling the power was reduced and the aircraft came to a halt, exiting under it's own power via Taxiway Alpha. The emergency services were not required and the crew gave no indication as to the cause of the problem other than it would take ten minutes to rectify.   

Taxi restrictions for An124 aircraft at Shannon meant the aircraft had to shut down and be towed through the ramp to the start of the Delta taxiways. The aircraft made a normal departure approximately 1 hour after initial push back from the gate.

Pictured above, RA-82041 lines up on R24, first time round. This was the fourth visit by RA-82041 this month. The aircraft has hex code 154079 assigned but hasn't had the Mode S transponder switched on for any of the visits, if in fact it has one fitted.