An EasyJet plane was just seconds away from disaster when a pilot flew too close to a mountain during its descent.
The pilot, Paul Elsworth, was suspended following the incident which saw the Airbus A320 cruise over a mountain range at an altitude of just 3,100ft.
The flight took off from Manchester Airport and was travelling to Hurghada, a Red Sea resort in Egypt.
As the plane came within 771ft of a mountain peak at 2,329ft, the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) triggered an urgent alert.
It rang out “pull up, terrain, terrain, pull up, pull up, terrain ahead, pull up”, prompting Elsworth to execute a rapid manoeuver that averted a crash.
He pulled on the joystick to bring the aircraft to a higher altitude, which saved all crew and passengers on board.
Standard procedure requires aircrafts to clear the mountainous area at around 6,000ft, however the Airbus A320 has been descending at a rate of 4,928ft per minute before Elsworth swiftly pulled the plane up.
Experts have said that the aircraft should have been flying at a much slower speed with a shallower rate of descent.
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The next day, the 61-year-old captain reported the incident ahead of flying back to Manchester. .
EasyJet then suspended Elsworth, a veteran pilot with 32 years of experience.
A replacement crew was then assembled to fly the aircraft back to its origin destination.
A probe into the February 2 flight is ongoing, with investigators using Elsworth and the First Officer’s accounts to detail the events.
A source told The Sun: “Within moments of the flight drama being raised, officials stepped in and Paul Elsworth was forbidden from piloting the plane. Another flight crew brought the jet home.
“The pilot will be asked detailed questions. The GPWS only sounds when a plane is heading into terrain - in this instance a mountain.
“Passengers on-board are understood to have been oblivious to the scare, and unaware of just how close they came to the mountain range as the plane descended into Egypt.”
In a statement, EasyJet said: “Safety is the number one priority for all our pilots, they are trained to the highest industry standards, subject to rigorous testing and monitored closely.
“The flight landed normally and as we have an ongoing investigation, the pilot remains stood down from duty in line with procedures.”
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The pilot, Paul Elsworth, was suspended following the incident which saw the Airbus A320 cruise over a mountain range at an altitude of just 3,100ft.
The flight took off from Manchester Airport and was travelling to Hurghada, a Red Sea resort in Egypt.
As the plane came within 771ft of a mountain peak at 2,329ft, the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) triggered an urgent alert.
It rang out “pull up, terrain, terrain, pull up, pull up, terrain ahead, pull up”, prompting Elsworth to execute a rapid manoeuver that averted a crash.
He pulled on the joystick to bring the aircraft to a higher altitude, which saved all crew and passengers on board.
Standard procedure requires aircrafts to clear the mountainous area at around 6,000ft, however the Airbus A320 has been descending at a rate of 4,928ft per minute before Elsworth swiftly pulled the plane up.
Experts have said that the aircraft should have been flying at a much slower speed with a shallower rate of descent.
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The next day, the 61-year-old captain reported the incident ahead of flying back to Manchester. .
EasyJet then suspended Elsworth, a veteran pilot with 32 years of experience.
A replacement crew was then assembled to fly the aircraft back to its origin destination.
A probe into the February 2 flight is ongoing, with investigators using Elsworth and the First Officer’s accounts to detail the events.
A source told The Sun: “Within moments of the flight drama being raised, officials stepped in and Paul Elsworth was forbidden from piloting the plane. Another flight crew brought the jet home.
“The pilot will be asked detailed questions. The GPWS only sounds when a plane is heading into terrain - in this instance a mountain.
“Passengers on-board are understood to have been oblivious to the scare, and unaware of just how close they came to the mountain range as the plane descended into Egypt.”
In a statement, EasyJet said: “Safety is the number one priority for all our pilots, they are trained to the highest industry standards, subject to rigorous testing and monitored closely.
“The flight landed normally and as we have an ongoing investigation, the pilot remains stood down from duty in line with procedures.”
Find Out More...