The Airbus A320 aircraft suffered a ‘serious incident’ shortly after the plane took off from Catania Airport in Sicily, Italy coming within 200 feet of the sea whilst travelling at just under 300mph
A budget airline plummeted towards the Mediterranean at nearly 300mph mere moments after departure. The Airbus A320 in Italy experienced a “serious incident” shortly after lifting off from Catania Airport in Sicily.
The Air Arabia jet had departed the island’s airport at 9:57pm on September 20, when a “Ground Proximity Warning System pull-up message” was triggered. The aircraft was en route to Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan when the alarming event unfolded, according to a statement from Italy’s aviation accident investigation agency.
The agency revealed that the pull-up alert “occurred as the aircraft approached the sea surface, reaching a short distance from it.”, reports the Mirror. According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, these warnings “are vital safety systems in modern aircraft that are designed to prevent collisions with terrain or obstacles, and were designed to prevent Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents.”
The aviation accident agency confirmed: “The flight continued without further incident. There were no passengers on board, and two pilots and four cabin crew members were present.
“After a preliminary review of the information received from the operator, ANSV opened a safety investigation, classifying the event as a serious incident.”
Italian publication la Repubblica Palermo reported that the aircraft came within approximately 200 feet of the sea whilst travelling at just under 300mph.
The news comes after we reported how a passenger tragically died aboard an easyJet flight bound for Lanzarote last month. Cabin crew did everything possible to help during the medical emergency, according to the airline.
A distress call was made following the carrier’s standard protocols. The incident took place on Tuesday, easyJet confirmed to Le Parisien. The flight involved was travelling from Nantes in France to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, reports the Mirror.
French media reports indicate the incident happened on flight EJU4775. The captain issued a distress call before “making a routine landing in accordance with standard procedures”. The airline told Le Parisien: “Our crews are trained to respond to medical emergencies and did everything they could during the flight.
“Our thoughts are with the passenger’s family and friends, and we offer them our full support and assistance at this difficult time. The wellbeing and safety of our passengers and crew are always easyJet’s top priority.”
Ouest-France reported the incident caused significant delays for the return flight from Lanzarote to Nantes.
The return service, which was due to touch down at 2.45pm in Nantes, finally arrived at approximately 11pm.
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