What happened
On Thursday, July 24, 2025, an Embraer ERJ-190AR aircraft registered VH-A2T and operated by Alliance Airlines on behalf of Qantas experienced a serious incident during departure from Cairns Airport, Queensland. The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger service to Brisbane International Airport and departed at approximately 18:55 local time.
During the initial climb phase, the flight crew did not complete the after take-off checklist, which resulted in the landing gear remaining extended beyond the recommended retraction window. The crew detected an unusual noise outside the aircraft and observed via the EICAS (Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System) that the gear was still extended. When the landing gear was subsequently retracted at an airspeed exceeding the certified gear retraction limit, a gear speed exceedance event occurred.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) launched an investigation into the serious incident and is analysing operational and flight data to determine the contributing human and procedural factors that led to the non-completion of the after take-off checklist and the subsequent gear retraction at excessive airspeed.