A budget airliner experienced a dramatic loss of altitude moments after departing from a holiday hotspot in Sicily, descending at nearly 300mph before recovering. The Air Arabia flight, an Airbus A320, began falling just ten seconds after its wheels left the runway at Vincenzo Bellini Catania Airport on Saturday, September 20.
According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, the aircraft sank to just 60 metres above the Ionian Sea before the crew managed to pull up. The Ground Proximity Warning System activated during the descent, alerting the pilots to the imminent danger of a collision with the sea.
After regaining control, the flight continued to its destination, Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. The incident, which occurred shortly before midnight local time, has been classified as a “serious incident” by the Italian National Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV), which has launched an investigation.
The aircraft had no passengers on board but carried two pilots and four flight attendants. An ANSV spokesperson stated: “After a preliminary review of the information received from the operator, ANSV opened a safety investigation, classifying the event as a serious incident. This occurred as the aircraft approached the sea surface, to within a short distance.” The agency added that the flight continued without further incident and landed safely in Amman at approximately 2:52am local time on Sunday.
FlightRadar24 noted that such alerts “are vital safety systems in modern aircraft that are designed to prevent collisions with terrain or obstacles, and were designed to prevent Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents.” The cause of the sudden descent remains unclear.
