horror flight
Passenger jet on a long-haul flight threatens to crash into the sea shortly after take-off
On January 10, 2023, Qatar Airways flight QR161 took off from Doha to Copenhagen. Everything seemed fine, but suddenly the machine descended at high speed. The pilot took over and avoided a crash.
published
Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing lost altitude extremely quickly.
Screenshot Flightradar 24
The co-pilot had failed to turn on the so-called flight director.
ELVIS BARUKCIC / AFP
The plane landed safely in the Danish capital around six hours after departure.
Daniel SLIM / AFP
-
An incident occurred at the start of a flight from Doha to Copenhagen.
-
The Boeing 787-8 almost crashed.
-
In the end it was just a small mistake.
On January 10, the Boeing 787-7 of Qatar Airways Flight QR161 taxied onto the runway at Doha Airport. The jet bound for Copenhagen took off a little later, everything seemed to be in perfect order. The machine climbed to 550 meters – then something went wrong.
The Dreamliner rapidly lost height, to be precise: it dropped 300 meters within 24 seconds. Then the 787-8 suddenly rose again. Around six hours later, the plane landed safely in the Danish capital. But what happened there?
Flight Director has not been activated
According to the “Aviation Herald”, the co-pilot was controlling the Boeing 787 at the time. At an altitude of 490 meters, he received clearance to steer the machine. But the flight director was not switched on: this is a guidance aid that helps the pilot to follow the correct flight data. As a result, the aircraft lost altitude extremely quickly. Finally, the captain took over manual control and brought the jet back to the correct altitude. At this point, the jet was just 240 meters above sea level.
According to the “Aviaton Herald”, the authorities were only informed about the incident on February 8th. The airline Qatar Airways contradicts this statement. An internal investigation should now clarify the incident.