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| Plane drops 500ft in 18 seconds after error | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The pilot of a Flybe plane that dropped 500ft (152m) in 18 seconds had selected the wrong autopilot settings, an investigation has found. | |
| Some 44 passengers and four crew were on board the Belfast City to Glasgow flight on 11 January when the plane "pitched nose-down" towards the ground. | Some 44 passengers and four crew were on board the Belfast City to Glasgow flight on 11 January when the plane "pitched nose-down" towards the ground. |
| An Air Accidents Investigation Branch report said warnings alerted the pilot, who fixed the error at 928ft (283m). | An Air Accidents Investigation Branch report said warnings alerted the pilot, who fixed the error at 928ft (283m). |
| Flybe said it had implemented "remedial actions quickly in response". | Flybe said it had implemented "remedial actions quickly in response". |
| The report said that autopilot was engaged when the Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 turboprop plane reached an altitude of 1,350 ft. | |
| The plane climbed to 1,500ft, but then pitched and "descended rapidly" because the autopilot was set with a target altitude of 0ft. | |
| Staff reported that the plane "had become visual with the ground", and the report said the aircraft had reached a maximum rate of descent of 4,300ft/min. | Staff reported that the plane "had become visual with the ground", and the report said the aircraft had reached a maximum rate of descent of 4,300ft/min. |
| The 60-year-old pilot "responded almost immediately" to cockpit alarms and disconnected the autopilot, the report found. | The 60-year-old pilot "responded almost immediately" to cockpit alarms and disconnected the autopilot, the report found. |
| The report said "several safety actions" had been taken by Flybe since the incident, including revisions to simulator training and amendments to the taxi checklist. | The report said "several safety actions" had been taken by Flybe since the incident, including revisions to simulator training and amendments to the taxi checklist. |
| A statement from Flybe said the operator "maintains a rigorous approach to ensuring the very highest flying standards are maintained". | A statement from Flybe said the operator "maintains a rigorous approach to ensuring the very highest flying standards are maintained". |
| "Flybe implemented remedial actions quickly in response to the incident and our training and procedures have been amended to minimise the risk of a reoccurrence," it said. | "Flybe implemented remedial actions quickly in response to the incident and our training and procedures have been amended to minimise the risk of a reoccurrence," it said. |
| Were you on this flight? If you were please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk | Were you on this flight? If you were please get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or use the form below: | Or use the form below: |