A RYANAIR plane came within seconds of hitting a helicopter — as the captain did not realise the autopilot was off.
The aircraft, carrying 172 passengers, was approaching Stansted Airport at 3,000ft when the incident happened, investigators said.
The plane was making its final approach to Stansted Airport[/caption]
Its inexperienced co-pilot handed control to the captain who was unaware autopilot and autothrust were not engaged.
The Boeing 737 plummeted about 550ft before the problem was noticed. At that moment, a helicopter was flying in the vicinity at about 2,000ft.
Investigators said the Ryanair flight from Szczecin, Poland, was just 300ft above.
Its captain seized back control and climbed to safety before landing in March last year.
An Air Accidents Investigation Branch report stated: “The co-pilot said that this was his first time he had handed over control during manual flight and he did not know the precise call-outs that were stated in the Flight Crew Operating Manual.”
It added: “Whilst he did not highlight the fact he was manually flying he assumed the commander realised this.”
The investigators said there was no formal reply in the manual.
But it said: “It is common practice in all areas of aviation, to say, ‘I have control’, once the transfer is made”.
The airline’s manual has now been expanded to ensure a positive reply, the report added.
The incident has echoes of a January crash over Washington DC between an airliner and US Army helicopter, killing 67.
A Ryanair plane came within seconds of hitting a helicopter — as the captain did not realise the autopilot was off.[/caption]
