Several in-service events were reported to Airbus where the flight crew inadvertently selected the autopilot while attempting to engage the autothrottle during the takeoff roll. Inadvertent autopilot engagement may result in early rotation that can lead to a tail strike, inability to climb, runway overrun, or even loss of control. The purpose of this article is to describe the circumstances leading to this type of event with a case study and to provide details about the procedure updates and planned product enhancements that aim to prevent recurrence.
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