As of: February 7, 2024, 7:52 a.m
By: Karolin Schaefer
Comments
Press
Split
A catastrophe almost occurred in Switzerland.
An Easyjet passenger plane flew too low over Lake Geneva and almost fell into the water.
Geneva – The near-miss occurred in Switzerland on November 5, 2023.
Research by local media now reveals new information.
The flight took off from Edinburgh to Geneva on Sunday morning with 157 passengers on a new Airbus A320 Neo.
There were also two pilots and four crew members on board the British low-cost airline.
Dangerous low-level flight in Switzerland: Passenger plane almost crashes into Alpine lake
Shortly before landing at Geneva airport, however, the aircraft sank “well below the gliding line,” according to a preliminary report from the Swiss Safety Investigation Board (SUST) dated January 16th.
The crew therefore initiated a flight maneuver called a “go-around”.
The landing approach that has begun is aborted and the pilot gets the aircraft to climb again.
Only when the airport issues new instructions can another attempt to land be made.
No one was injured and the aircraft was not damaged, the SUST reported.
Nevertheless, the case is classified as “serious,” the French-language Swiss daily
24 heures
reported .
The Easyjet plane was moving dangerously close to Lake Geneva.
As the newspaper reported, the plane was only 230 meters above the lake, about twelve kilometers from the airport.
Normally, at this distance, aircraft should be 750 meters above the water.
30 seconds before crashing into Alpine Lake: Airplane performs maneuvers
At the last moment, the people on board were able to avoid a catastrophe.
The airport control tower immediately noticed the low flight and alerted the crew.
“Check your altitude,” the newspaper quoted air traffic controllers as saying.
At the same time, the plane's on-board system also issued an alarm.
The picture shows an Airbus A320 Neo.
© Schulzhattingen/imago
If the pilots had not reacted in time, the plane would have crashed into the water within 30 seconds, according to
24 heures
.
As the aircraft took off, it quickly gained altitude again and flew in a loop.
The Airbus was only able to land safely on the second approach.
Two people who died in a plane crash in Belgium were less lucky.
My news
Italy: 22 degrees in South Tyrol, bathing weather in Sicily - and blooming mimosas as a bad omen
King Charles III
Suffered from cancer – Nostradamus is said to have predicted abdication read
28 years of unpaid overtime: Baker files lawsuit against employer
1 hour ago
Knife attack shocks Italy: Student (17) stabs English teacher in front of school
Two students stabbed in Baden-Württemberg – police investigate read
450 km/h fast: New super train could travel from Hamburg to Munich in under 2 hoursread
“I don’t know what happened in the cockpit that day, but that must be where the key to the explanation lies,”
24 heures
quoted an Airbus pilot who regularly flies to Geneva.
You shouldn't think in such a situation.
“You simply accelerate again to regain altitude as quickly as possible,” he said, referring to the flight maneuver.
Air traffic controllers prevent disaster: Easyjet pilots temporarily suspended
Why the plane flew so dangerously low is not yet known and is currently being investigated.
In any case, the two pilots have been temporarily suspended, Easyjet confirmed to the Swiss newspaper.
That is common in such a case.
The airline wants to support the investigations by the Swiss authorities.
There was also drama when a plane from Munich made an emergency landing.
However, a freak of nature prevented the passengers from disembarking for over an hour;
a swarm of bees had gathered at an airplane.