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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Jumbo jet in 'near-miss' incident | Jumbo jet in 'near-miss' incident |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The pilot of a jumbo jet with 450 passengers ignored autopilot landing instructions when he realised they had veered off course, a report said. | The pilot of a jumbo jet with 450 passengers ignored autopilot landing instructions when he realised they had veered off course, a report said. |
| The Boeing 747 flew over parts of west London at heights of 1,200ft (366m) rather than the normal 2,300ft (701m). | The Boeing 747 flew over parts of west London at heights of 1,200ft (366m) rather than the normal 2,300ft (701m). |
| The plane's autopilot was pushing the nose down and gave the pilot landing instructions which he did not follow in order to avoid a crash. | The plane's autopilot was pushing the nose down and gave the pilot landing instructions which he did not follow in order to avoid a crash. |
| The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is continuing its inquiry. | The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is continuing its inquiry. |
| Campaigners opposed to the level of air traffic using Heathrow say the incident last January highlights the dangers of more planes using the airport. | |
| 'Tragedy averted' | 'Tragedy averted' |
| John Stewart, of the campaign group Hacan ClearSkies, said: "The instruments were telling the plane not to land at Heathrow but to land in west London. | John Stewart, of the campaign group Hacan ClearSkies, said: "The instruments were telling the plane not to land at Heathrow but to land in west London. |
| "If he (the pilot) had followed those directions there would have been a major tragedy. Thankfully he took matters into his own hands and averted that tragedy." | "If he (the pilot) had followed those directions there would have been a major tragedy. Thankfully he took matters into his own hands and averted that tragedy." |
| It is not yet clear why the incident happened but it is thought that the Israeli-registered plane lost touch with the Heathrow guidance beam. | |
| Councillor Serge Laurie said: "It's worrying because a plane that should have been flying at 2,600 ft was actually flying at 1,200 ft. | Councillor Serge Laurie said: "It's worrying because a plane that should have been flying at 2,600 ft was actually flying at 1,200 ft. |
| "Cloud cover was 1,500 ft so you can tell that the pilot would have had limited time to respond. | "Cloud cover was 1,500 ft so you can tell that the pilot would have had limited time to respond. |
| "It's clear that either the computer on the plane wasn't working properly or there was a fault with the landing system on the ground." | "It's clear that either the computer on the plane wasn't working properly or there was a fault with the landing system on the ground." |
| The Department for Transport said there was never any risk of a crash because the pilot took action which air traffic control was aware of. | The Department for Transport said there was never any risk of a crash because the pilot took action which air traffic control was aware of. |