The Air, Maritime and Railway Traffic Accident Investigation Agency has published its preliminary report on the serious incident involving a Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-300, registered 9A-CAN, which occurred on May 16, 2026, at Split Airport. The aircraft was scheduled to operate a regular international passenger flight from Split to Frankfurt, but during the takeoff roll it veered to the left and exited the runway. There were 132 passengers and five crew members on board, and no one was injured.

According to the preliminary report, the aircraft had arrived earlier that day from Düsseldorf and landed in Split at around 12:30 local time. The landing was uneventful, and the aircraft remained on the ground for around 40 minutes, during which passengers disembarked and boarded, and standard ground handling operations were carried out. Around 20 minutes before landing, a passing rain shower affected the Split area, leaving the runway wet. However, the Agency states that all relevant parameters were within permitted limits and that traffic at Split Airport was operating normally.

At around 13:05, the aircraft was ready for its flight to Frankfurt, started its engines and began taxiing toward runway 05. Another Croatia Airlines Airbus A220-300 was taxiing ahead of it. During taxi, the crew monitored wind data and requested a runway change because using runway 05 would have required takeoff with a tailwind component. The crew was subsequently cleared to take off from runway 23.

At that time, the wind was blowing from 290 degrees at 15 knots, with gusts of up to 23 knots. The crosswind component for takeoff from runway 23 was from the right side of the aircraft, at 13 knots, with gusts of up to 20 knots. The Agency notes that the maximum permitted crosswind component for takeoff of the Airbus A220-300 is 32 knots, meaning that the wind was not insignificant, but remained below the prescribed limit. The condition of the runway was assessed as adequate and, according to the findings so far, could not have been a factor that would have compromised the takeoff.

The aircraft taxiing ahead of the A220 in question took off without difficulty at 13:23, approximately four minutes before 9A-CAN began its takeoff roll. The aircraft started its takeoff at 13:27. According to the report, acceleration proceeded normally, and the aircraft reached a speed slightly below V1, after which it began veering to the left. The veer was initially gradual and then became sudden, causing the aircraft to leave the runway edge.

The pilots managed to align the aircraft’s movement parallel to the runway centerline and rejected the takeoff. After intensive deceleration, the aircraft came to a stop near the runway edge. The left main landing gear leg ended up on the grass surface outside the runway, the right main landing gear remained on the runway, while the nose gear was positioned in a shallow drainage channel along the runway edge. The crew then shut down the engines and, in communication with the tower controller, established that there was no smoke or fire and that an emergency evacuation was not required. Passengers left the aircraft using the standard procedure, while airport emergency services were ready to intervene.

According to the AIN’s description, the aircraft sustained minor, repairable damage. The preliminary report states that the left engine and nose gear were damaged, all tires were damaged due to skidding, and the left nose gear tire burst. During braking with the use of thrust reversers, particles were lifted from the grass surface alongside the runway, causing damage to the skin and certain components on the lower fuselage and left wing. Impacts with runway-side signal markers also caused part of the damage to the left engine.

Immediately after the event, the Agency received notifications from Croatia Airlines, Croatia Control, Split Airport and the Operational Communication Centre of the Ministry of the Interior. Following an assessment of the situation, removal of the aircraft from the runway was approved so that airport traffic could resume. Investigators conducted an on-site inspection, interviewed the pilots, collected the necessary documentation, analyzed detailed meteorological data and downloaded data from the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.

The preliminary report does not state the final cause of the serious incident. For now, it only describes the runway excursion, while the reason for the veering, and consequently the runway excursion, will be determined in the continuation of the investigation. In the next phase, the Agency will complete its analysis of the flight data and cockpit voice recordings, analyze aircraft maintenance work, the company’s pilot training program and emergency procedures, after which the final report will be published. Safety recommendations will be defined after the investigation is completed.

Although the preliminary report provides an official chronological overview of the event and confirms the basic circumstances of the incident, its content remains largely descriptive at this stage. In other words, apart from a more precise sequence of events, wind data, runway condition and aircraft damage, the report does not provide any significant new conclusions as to why the aircraft veered off and exited the runway. Key questions, including the reason for the aircraft’s veering at a speed just below V1, remain open until the investigation is completed.