A low-cost airline plane was heading towards the ocean at a speed of 300mph just moments after taking off. The Airbus A320 aircraft experienced a significant incident shortly after departure from Catania Airport in Italy. The Air Arabia flight departed from the airport on Sicily’s island at 9:57 pm on September 20 and received a “Ground Proximity Warning System pull-up message.”
The aircraft was en route to Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan when the incident occurred, as stated by the Italian aviation accident investigation agency. The agency reported that the pull-up message was triggered as the plane neared the sea surface, coming dangerously close to it.
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, such messages are crucial safety features in modern aircraft designed to prevent collisions with terrain or obstacles, aiming to avoid Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents.
The aviation accident agency confirmed that the flight proceeded without further issues. There were no passengers on board, with only two pilots and four cabin crew members present. Following a preliminary evaluation of the operator’s data, ANSV initiated a safety investigation, categorizing the event as a serious incident. The aircraft was reported to have reached about 200 feet from the sea, traveling at just under 300mph, according to Italian news outlet la Repubblica Palermo.
It remains uncertain whether weather conditions were favorable during the incident, as reported by the outlet. The flight eventually landed at around 2:52 am local time on September 21.
This incident follows recent alarming events involving other aircraft. An easyJet plane narrowly avoided a collision with another airliner, coming within 10 feet of each other as it was getting ready for departure amidst heavy rainfall at France’s third busiest airport. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot announced that an investigation by the air accident investigation branch (BEA) had been promptly ordered to look into the incident.
