Portuguese plane comes 30 seconds close to crashing near Prague
Czech air navigation services have reported on a hair-raising incident in which a Portuguese plane heading for Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague was just 30 seconds away from crashing, not far from the capital. A last-minute maneuver by the pilot prevented a horrific tragedy.
What was supposed to be a routine scheduled flight from Lisbon to Prague nearly ended in tragedy. A TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320neo approaching Prague was just above Křivoklát Castle (30km west of Prague) and descending rapidly at a speed of 590 kilometers per hour. It was just 300 meters above ground when the pilot responded to a warning signal, preventing a catastrophe at the last moment. The incident, described by Zdopravy.cz as one of the most serious in the past ten years, occurred on January 17 before noon.
“Radar systems detected a deviation from the assigned flight altitude of 4,000 (1,290 meters) feet above ground level. The crew responded to instructions from air traffic control,” said flight inspector and deputy director of the Air Accidents Investigation Institute, Josef Bejdák, for Mladá fronta DNES. “We are investigating the situation as a serious incident,” he added.
Weather conditions at the time were poor, with dense fog and low clouds. According to available data, the aircraft was seconds away from disaster. The crew initiated a steep climb in the final moments. The plane then made a turn near Křivoklát Castle, reduced its speed, and continued safely to Václav Havel Airport Prague.
“It is unclear why the situation occurred. The aircraft was traveling at high speed and had been descending for some time. Had the crew leveled off at 4,000 feet (1,290 meters) above ground level, they would have been able to stabilize the aircraft and land without any problems. Descending below the minimum sector altitude of 3,600 feet (1,097 meters) is a serious violation of regulations – and of common sense,” said pilot and university lecturer Jiří Hořínka in a statement to Zdopravy.cz.
The cause may have been an incorrectly selected autopilot mode or interference from a false signal from the Instrument Landing System (ILS), Hořínka says.
“In any case, the crew should have responded appropriately and ensured that the aircraft did not descend below 4,000 feet (1,290 meters),” Hořínka emphasized. “However, they failed to do so, and the situation was ultimately resolved only thanks to the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), which immediately instructed the pilots to climb. Fortunately, they complied,” he added.
According to experts, the incident was a classic example of what is known as Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), a situation in which incorrect autopilot settings or other factors cause an aircraft to approach the ground without the crew being aware of the mistake. Nevertheless, for the time being, it is unclear what exactly happened on board. “Our Portuguese colleagues sent us the data from the so-called black boxes, which are currently being analyzed and compared with the data obtained from air traffic control,” stated Bejdák.
