Serious incident between the Boeing 787-10 registered N16009 and the Airbus A320-214 registered OE-IJF on 20/07/2020 at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport (Val-d'Oise)

Cat. 2 investigation report: simplified-format report, adapted to the circumstances of the occurrence and the investigation stakes.

The day of the occurrence, landings were being carried out on runway 09L and take-offs from runway 09R (easterly operations from north twin runways). The LOC controller (in the north tower) was sat in the NE LOC position, as the controllers had been unable to switch on the screen used for the control in the NW LOC position. Sat in the NE LOC position, the LOC controller did not have direct sight of the thresholds of runways 09.
A few minutes before the occurrence, two planes had landed on runway 09L and due to the Air France Boeing 787 landing on runway 09R, were holding position on the taxiway before crossing this runway. Two aeroplanes were at holding point D5, including the EasyJet Airbus A320, ready for departure from runway 09R.
When the crew of the United Airlines Boeing 787 on an ILS approach to runway 09L first made contact, the LOC controller made a lapsus and cleared the crew to land on runway 09R instead of runway 09L. The crew wanting nevertheless to clarify this authorization which implied carrying out a sidestep, read back the landing clearance adding, notably, the words “understand” and “sidestep for 9 right” in the expectation of a possible correction of the clearance by the controller. The controller did not check the crew’s read-back. The crew continued the final approach, carrying out a visual sidestep, in manual, to runway 09R.
The controller cleared the crew of the Airbus A320 to line up on runway 09R. The crew checked that the final approach path to runway 09R was free and saw the Boeing 787 which they thought was on final for runway 09L. They started taxiing to line up. Before turning to line up on the runway centreline, the crew carried out a last check of the final approach path for runway 09R and saw the Boeing 787 carrying out a manoeuvre to align with runway 09R. The latter was at a height of 300 ft and 1,300 m (0.7 NM) from the threshold. They asked the controller about the presence of the Boeing 787 on final and faced with the imminence of a potential collision, the crew of the Airbus A320 asked the aeroplane on final to carry out a go-around. The crew of the Boeing 787 who had sight of the Airbus A320 on the runway carried out a missed approach. At the same time, the controller confirmed the go-around instruction and the RIMCAS warnings were activated. The Boeing 787 flew over the Airbus A320 at a height of around 300 ft.