An airliner carrying 57 people came within seconds of crashing in thick fog at Guernsey Airport last summer, a new report has revealed.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that Aurigny Air flight GR651 descended to just 60ft over the runway despite visibility being far below the required minimums.
The Lithuanian-registered aircraft, chartered from operator Jump Air, would have hit the ground just 6.8 seconds later had the pilots not finally pulled up.
The incident on 12 August has been classified as "serious" by investigators.
No passengers or crew were injured during the near-miss.
The AAIB investigation uncovered that visibility at Guernsey Airport was as low as 325 metres during the landing attempt.
Aviation rules state that an "approach ban" applies when visibility falls below 550 metres.
Despite air traffic control repeatedly informing the pilots that fog was restricting visibility to between 325 and 375 metres, they continued their approach.
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Investigators found the pilots had continued trying to land "far beyond the point at which they should have diverted elsewhere".
Communication failures in the cockpit played a critical role in the incident, the AAIB report found.
"In this flight neither crew member spoke English as a first language. Beyond the use of English, they did not share a common language," investigators said.
The AAIB castigated the cockpit crew for "ineffective communication".
"Neither pilot was fully aware of the other pilot's intentions or the situation. They did not share a common picture of where the aircraft was or what they were trying to achieve," the report stated.
This communication breakdown meant "neither was aware of how close to the ground and obstacles they were for an extended period of time".
GPS recordings revealed how the airliner drifted sideways away from the runway during the incident.
The aircraft passed over trees and a house as the pilots struggled to regain control.
The co-pilot later suggested to investigators that he had to take emergency action.
"He recalls prompting the commander to climb; to pitch the aircraft up and explaining why he could not retract the landing gear, but the commander did not respond to these prompts," the AAIB said.
"Eventually he pulled on the control column himself in order to establish a climb," according to the report.
No cockpit voice recording was available as it had been overwritten during the subsequent flight to Southampton.
According to aviation rules, the pilots should have safely broken off their approach three miles from the airport.
They should have either waited for the weather to improve or diverted elsewhere.
Instead, they continued their approach despite the thick fog.
The flight eventually landed safely at Southampton after the failed landing attempt at Guernsey.
The AAIB investigation highlighted that the pilots had not realised Guernsey Airport is not equipped for landings in "whiteout" conditions.
While the airport has an Instrument Landing System (ILS), it does not permit landings in such poor visibility.
The AAIB found the pilots of flight GR651 were not aware of this crucial limitation.
Even if they had been aware, their communication difficulties might have prevented them from effectively sharing this information.
The incident follows other controversies at Guernsey Airport last August, including when air traffic control closed at 11.35pm.
This forced another Aurigny Air flight to abort landing when just 800ft from touchdown and return to the mainland.
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The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) found that Aurigny Air flight GR651 descended to just 60ft over the runway despite visibility being far below the required minimums.
The Lithuanian-registered aircraft, chartered from operator Jump Air, would have hit the ground just 6.8 seconds later had the pilots not finally pulled up.
The incident on 12 August has been classified as "serious" by investigators.
No passengers or crew were injured during the near-miss.
The AAIB investigation uncovered that visibility at Guernsey Airport was as low as 325 metres during the landing attempt.
Aviation rules state that an "approach ban" applies when visibility falls below 550 metres.
Despite air traffic control repeatedly informing the pilots that fog was restricting visibility to between 325 and 375 metres, they continued their approach.
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Investigators found the pilots had continued trying to land "far beyond the point at which they should have diverted elsewhere".
Communication failures in the cockpit played a critical role in the incident, the AAIB report found.
"In this flight neither crew member spoke English as a first language. Beyond the use of English, they did not share a common language," investigators said.
The AAIB castigated the cockpit crew for "ineffective communication".
"Neither pilot was fully aware of the other pilot's intentions or the situation. They did not share a common picture of where the aircraft was or what they were trying to achieve," the report stated.
This communication breakdown meant "neither was aware of how close to the ground and obstacles they were for an extended period of time".
GPS recordings revealed how the airliner drifted sideways away from the runway during the incident.
The aircraft passed over trees and a house as the pilots struggled to regain control.
The co-pilot later suggested to investigators that he had to take emergency action.
"He recalls prompting the commander to climb; to pitch the aircraft up and explaining why he could not retract the landing gear, but the commander did not respond to these prompts," the AAIB said.
"Eventually he pulled on the control column himself in order to establish a climb," according to the report.
No cockpit voice recording was available as it had been overwritten during the subsequent flight to Southampton.
According to aviation rules, the pilots should have safely broken off their approach three miles from the airport.
They should have either waited for the weather to improve or diverted elsewhere.
Instead, they continued their approach despite the thick fog.
The flight eventually landed safely at Southampton after the failed landing attempt at Guernsey.
The AAIB investigation highlighted that the pilots had not realised Guernsey Airport is not equipped for landings in "whiteout" conditions.
While the airport has an Instrument Landing System (ILS), it does not permit landings in such poor visibility.
The AAIB found the pilots of flight GR651 were not aware of this crucial limitation.
Even if they had been aware, their communication difficulties might have prevented them from effectively sharing this information.
The incident follows other controversies at Guernsey Airport last August, including when air traffic control closed at 11.35pm.
This forced another Aurigny Air flight to abort landing when just 800ft from touchdown and return to the mainland.
Find Out More...