An Emirates Boeing 777 narrowly survived the disaster. The crew did not notice that the autopilot was set incorrectly. As a result, he woke up very late.
Most of the guests aboard flight EK231 on 20 December should not have noticed the serious incident. After a little more than 14 hours, they landed in Washington as usual. At the very beginning of the journey a precarious situation had arisen.
After returning to Dubai, the Emirates Boeing 777 remained on the ground for four days. The cause is said to be early damage in Dubai, reports the portal, which specializes in incidents Aviation Herald,
jet took off too late
Unlike travelers, some people in Dubai may have noticed on 20 December that something was wrong. Because the giant jet took off at a height of only 23 meters over their homes, which are about five kilometers behind the end of the runway.
He is very little. The Boeing 777 with the registration number A6-EQI took off only in the safety zone of runway 30R, which occurs after the end of the runway, to prevent accidents. And who has certainly proved his point in this case.
Wrong altitude set on autopilot
but what happened? According to a letter written by Emirates to the pilots, the crew had overlooked that the autopilot was set to 0000 feet – the airport altitude. Instead, it should have been 4,000 feet.
As a result, the autopilot’s so-called flight director system, which is responsible for automatic controls, did not exhibit any rotation in which the nose should be raised. The Boeing 777 roared over and over the runway until it finally pulled its nose up and took off slowly.
Boeing 777 is back on the road
Actually, both the crew of the plane should have noticed the mistake. In the letter, Emirates insists that the so-called Mode Control Panel, which is the interface between humans and the autopilot, should not be set at airport altitude.
Indeed, such a mistake should also be included in the checklist that has been committed prior to departure. The affected aircraft is now back on the road, so the structural damage caused by the short take-off was clearly not very dramatic.
Emirates is investigating the incident
Emirates confirms that an incident occurred on the flight to Washington. “The flight proceeded safely to its destination, and after technical clearance, the aircraft made a return flight to Dubai,” a spokesperson said. The incident is currently under investigation and no further comment can be made.
