An EasyJet flight from Edinburgh to Geneva almost crashed over the Alps on November 5, 2023.
The Airbus A320 Neo, with 157 passengers on board, found itself perilously close to Lake Geneva, descending to an unsafe altitude of just 750 feet while still 7.5 miles away from its intended runway.
This graphic shows how close the easyJet plane came to crashing.
Swiss air traffic controllers acted swiftly, alerting the pilots to the dangerously low altitude. With their guidance, the pilots managed to swiftly manoeuvre the aircraft, accelerating and ascending just in the nick of time to avoid a potentially catastrophic collision with the water below. After looping over a nearby town, the flight landed on its second attempt, ensuring the safety of everyone on board.
The Swiss Safety Investigation Service (SESE) has labelled this incident as ‘serious’ and has launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the root cause. While the exact reasons behind the incident remain unclear, speculation has arisen, with one expert suggesting that the pilots may have been compelled to take a ‘shortcut’ route, necessitating a rapid descent.
Following the incident, the pilots were briefly placed on leave as a precautionary measure but resumed their duties. EasyJet has pledged its full cooperation with the investigation, emphasising that the safety and well-being of passengers and crew members are paramount.
