Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Ulster flight plummet scare
A FLYBE flight from Ulster plummeted 500ft in 18 seconds after an incorrect autopilot setting caused it to aim for the ground, an investigation found yesterday.
A total of 44 passengers and four crew were on board when the incident occurred shortly after take-off from Belfast City Airport.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said autopilot was engaged when the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop plane reached an altitude of 1,350ft.
The aircraft continued to climb to 1,500ft but it “pitched nose-down and then descended rapidly” as the system was mistakenly set with a target of zero altitude.
Cockpit alarms alerted the captain and first officer to what was happening on January 11.
They later reported they had “become visual with the ground”.
The captain disconnected autopilot and recovered the aircraft, having dropped to 928ft.
The maximum rate of descent of 4,300ft per minute during the event suggests the aircraft may have hit the ground just a few seconds later if the crew had not intervened.
They continued the journey to Glasgow without incident.
The flight’s operator has taken safety measures in response to the scare, including revisions to simulator training and pretake-off checks.