A Viva Aerobus Airbus A320neo from Chicago O’Hare International Airport almost took off from the taxiway rather than the runway.
VivaAerobus aircraft #VB187 from Chicago O’Hare to Mexico City was told to taxi on runway 22L via taxiway V on May 31, 2022. ‘Aeroenlaces 187, turn left heading 180, runway 22L, cleared for takeoff,’ replied the ATC.
But the pilots confused taxiway N for the runway and proceeded to depart.
The controller discovered the crew’s error and repeatedly yelled “STOP!” at the VivaAerobus pilots to catch their attention.
The crew rejected takeoff and returned to the runway.
Minutes afterward, the flight to Mexico took off successfully from runway 22L.
