A low-cost airline plane was heading towards the sea at a speed of 300mph shortly after taking off. The Airbus A320 aircraft experienced a significant incident just moments after departing from Catania Airport in Italy. The flight, bound for Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan, received a “Ground Proximity Warning System pull-up message” as it neared the sea surface.
According to Italian aviation accident investigators, the pull-up message was triggered when the plane was close to the sea. Flight tracking platform, Flightradar24, highlighted that such messages are crucial safety mechanisms in modern aircraft to prevent collisions with terrain or obstacles, specifically to avoid Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) incidents.
The aircraft, with only two pilots and four cabin crew members on board and no passengers, continued its journey without further issues. Following a preliminary assessment, the Italian aviation authorities initiated a safety investigation, categorizing the event as a serious incident. Reportedly, the plane came within approximately 200 feet of the sea at a speed just below 300mph.
Weather conditions during the incident remain unclear. The flight eventually landed at approximately 2:52am local time on September 21. This incident follows other recent aviation scares, such as an easyJet plane narrowly avoiding a collision with another airliner at a French airport during heavy rain, prompting an urgent investigation by the authorities.