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A flight could have been seconds away from crashing to the ground after an incorrect autopilot setting caused the aircraft to collapse, a survey recently revealed.
Some 44 passengers and four crew members were aboard the Flybe flight between Belfast City Airport and Glasgow when the plane lost 498 feet in 18 seconds shortly after takeoff on 11 January.
A report from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) indicated that the autopilot was engaged when the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprop aircraft reached an altitude of 1,348 feet.
The aircraft continued to climb up to 1,500 feet but then "nosed and then descended rapidly" as the autopilot was mistakenly set with a target altitude of zero.
The cockpit alarms alerted the captain and the first officer of what was happening.
They then declared that they had "become visual with the ground".
The captain disconnected the autopilot and found the aircraft. He fell to 928 feet.
The maximum rate of descent of 4300 feet per minute during the event suggests that the aircraft could have touched the ground a few seconds later had the crew not intervened.
Fortunately, the flight was found and continued to land safely at Glasgow Airport.
The AAIB concluded that crew selection of a particular autopilot mode prior to take-off led to the zero altitude target.
Autopilot systems are used to automatically control aircraft.
Flybe took several safety measures in response to the incident, including revisions to simulator training and changes to pilot checklists prior to take-off.
An airline spokeswoman said: "Flybe maintains a rigorous approach to ensure the highest flight standards are maintained.
"As stated by the AAIB, Flybe has quickly taken steps to address the incident and our training and procedures have been modified to minimize the risk of recurrence.
"Flybe operates over 158,000 flights a year and the safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority."
This story originally appeared on The Sun. Read more of The Sun's content here.
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