Captain’s Airbus A320 comes dangerously close to disaster over Egypt’s Red Sea resort
A captain at EasyJet has been suspended after a harrowing incident in which his Airbus A320 came perilously close to crashing into a mountain in Egypt. Captain Paul Elsworth's aircraft, carrying 190 passengers and crew, was descending towards Hurghada, a Red Sea resort, when it flew dangerously close to a 2,329ft peak, just 770ft away from potential disaster, according to reports.
The incident, which occurred on February 2, prompted the aircraft's ground proximity warning system to activate, alerting the crew with a “Pull up, terrain, terrain” warning. The 61-year-old captain, flying at only 3,100ft instead of the typical 6,000ft to clear the mountain, executed a swift manoeuvre, pulling the joystick to level the plane and avoiding a catastrophe.
Experts stated that the aircraft should have been descending at a slower speed and with a more gradual descent angle to prevent such a close call. Following the flight, which had departed from Manchester, Captain Elsworth was grounded and has been officially suspended pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
The incident has led to an official probe into the flight, EZY2251, while EasyJet reassured that passenger safety is their top priority, with the captain’s conduct currently under review in accordance with company procedures. The airline confirmed that the flight landed without further incident.
Captain Elsworth, a veteran pilot, previously gained attention in 2016 when his son, Luke, became the youngest professional pilot, also working with EasyJet.
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The first day’s journey was through the pink fields
The first day’s journey was through the pink fields