Investigation into ‘serious incident’ after plane takes off too low over major UK airport

An investigation has been launched into a “serious incident” after a plane took off too low at a major UK airport.

The aircraft was leaving Bristol Airport and failed to get enough thrust and flew over a main road as it was only 100 meters off the ground. Traveling to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, one report says he was only three meters off the tarmac as he passed the end of the runway. The pilots on board the aircraft did not adjust the thrust settings until the plane was 450 feet above the ground.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating the incident because, although there were no other problems, the incident could have been much more serious. BristolLive says a preliminary report has been issued by the AAIB inquiry. It was found that both pilots noticed how close they were to the end of the runway when the plane’s wheels finally left the tarmac.

The document said the pilots failed to establish the correct amount of thrust, so the plane took off too slowly and did not become airborne until it was too far down the runway.

The AAIB report highlights how the Boeing 737 was only 3m or 10ft off the ground when it passed the end of the tarmac and had only managed to climb 100ft by the time it went over the A38. The plane had six crew members and 163 passengers on board when it took off just after 11am on March 4 this year.

The investigation reported that the takeoff was part of a training flight for a new captain, with a training captain acting as the aircraft’s commander. Neither pilot noticed that the thrust settings had disengaged as they accelerated down the runway, meaning the plane took off with less thrust than necessary.