Southwest Flight Aborts Takeoff After Mistaking Taxiway for Runway

No injuries were reported after the flight safely returned to the gate at Orlando Airport, the airline says.

A Southwest Airlines plane in a file photo. Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo

A Southwest Airlines flight was forced to cancel its takeoff at Orlando Airport on March 20 after pilots mistakenly began departing on a taxiway instead of the runway.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said an air traffic controller voided Southwest Flight 3278’s takeoff clearance at roughly 9:30 a.m. ET after the jet started its takeoff roll on a taxiway parallel to the runway. Pilots use taxiways to transport aircraft from airport terminals to runways.