A low-cost airline plane rapidly descended towards the ocean at a speed of 300mph immediately after taking off. The Airbus A320 aircraft experienced a significant incident shortly after departing from Catania Airport in Italy. The plane, operated by Air Arabia, departed from the airport at 9:57pm on September 20 and received a “Ground Proximity Warning System pull-up message.”
The aircraft was en route to Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan when the incident occurred, according to a statement from the Italian aviation accident investigation agency. The agency noted that the pull-up message was triggered as the plane neared the sea surface, coming within a short distance from it.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 highlighted that such messages are crucial safety features in modern aircraft, designed to prevent collisions with terrain or obstacles, particularly to avert Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents.
The aviation accident agency confirmed that the flight proceeded without further issues, with only two pilots and four cabin crew members onboard as there were no passengers. Following a preliminary assessment of the information provided by the operator, ANSV initiated a safety investigation, categorizing the event as a serious incident. Reportedly, the plane came within approximately 200 feet of the sea while traveling at nearly 300mph, as per Italian outlet la Repubblica Palermo.
The weather conditions at the time of the incident remain unclear, as reported by the outlet. The flight successfully landed around 2:52am local time on September 21.
This incident follows recent alarming occurrences involving other aircraft. An easyJet plane narrowly avoided a collision with another airliner, coming within 10 feet, during heavy rain at France’s third busiest airport on Sunday, September 21 at 11:30pm. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot swiftly ordered an investigation by the air accident investigation branch (BEA) upon learning of the incident.