Ryanair Boeing 737 Max plunged 2,000ft in 17 seconds during flight to London Stansted
28 June 2024, 12:31
A Boeing 737 Max plane flown by Ryanair plunged more than 2,000 in just seconds during a final approach to London Stansted last year.
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An investigation was launched after the shocking incident on the plane from Klagenfurt Austria on December 4 last year.
The plane’s descent rate exceeded 8,000ft per minute - at a low altitude.
None of the passengers on board the 2-hour flight were harmed, according to the I newspaper.
Ryanair confirmed it cooperated with an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
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An AAIB incident log describes the aircraft experiencing a "high speed and high nose down pitch attitude" during landing.
This manoeuvre involves aborting a landing attempted, before circling the airport and trying again.
Ireland's Air Accident Investigation Unit, assisting the AAIB, reported a "level bust" - where an aircraft deviates significantly from its assigned altitude.
The cause of the incident remains unclear.
The plane did not operate for two days after the incident.
An AAIB spokesperson said: “We can’t provide any further detail at the moment as the serious incident is still under investigation.
“We can share that the aircraft landed safely and there were no reported injuries to passengers or crew. The investigation is nearing completion and likely to be published sometime in the autumn.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said: “This was a case of an unstable approach. The crew performed a ‘go around’ and landed normally on the second approach in line with Ryanair procedure.
“Ryanair reported this matter to the AAIB in compliance with our operating manual and we have provided full details to, and are cooperating fully with, this routine AAIB investigation. We can make no further comment until such time as the AAIB have completed their review of this flight.”
Boeing, London Stansted Airport and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority declined to comment while the investigation is ongoing.
