Balloonacy
Passenger plane nearly hit balloons at 7,000ft… but the pilot laughed it off
A PILOT almost collided with balloons at 7,000ft but saw the funny side of the dangerous incident, a report reveals.
The bundle of purple balloons passed just under the right wing of the B737 jet.
A report by the UK Airprox Board, which investigates near-misses, rated it at as a Category A incident – where there was a serious risk of collision.
It said the pilot chuckled as he reported it to air traffic control, saying: “Just a report of a near-miss with about five or six balloons, they just nearly hit us.”
The report said the incident “was acknowledged and as no other aircraft were in the vicinity, no further action was taken”.
The aircraft believed to have been a Jet2 plane en-route from Ibiza,
Spain, to Newcastle. The close-call happened as the plane carrying up to 189 passengers was flying at 200mph.
It was just north of Chester-le-Street, Co Durham, on its descent on August 28 this year. Jet2 was approached for comment.
In a separate incident, an A319 jet carrying up to 156 passengers came close to hitting a large helium balloon as it came in to land at Manchester Airport.
The easyJet pilots aborted their landing. easyJet said: “At no point was the safety of those on board compromised.”
It is unlikely helium balloons could down a passenger jet but they are believed to have played a
role in a 1993 crash in California in which the pilot of a small plane was killed.
Just a report of a near-miss with about five or six balloons, they just nearly hit us
CHUCKLING PILOT REPORTS CLOSECALL WITH HELIUM BALLOON BUNDLE