An Easyjet Airbus, with 157 passengers on board, found itself too close to the surface of Lake Geneva during its approach to Cointrin on November 5. The causes are not yet known.
The aircraft found itself some 230 meters from the surface of the water, at a place where its altitude should have been more than three times higher, the Tribune de Genève revealed on Tuesday. The Airbus A320 Neo registered G-UZLO was flying from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Geneva.
“During the approach to runway 22, the aircraft descended significantly below the glide path and the flight crew initiated a go-around,” confirms the Swiss Safety Investigation Service (SESE). ) in a so-called succinct first information report published on January 16. The reason is still unexplained.
The crew alerted
The control tower at Geneva Cointrin airport alerted the crew, at the same time as they were also warned of the altitude being too low by the on-board warning system, according to the Tribune de Genève.
The geographical specificities of Geneva and the approach attributed to the plane coming from Scotland could have played a role in the incident, because it requires the crews to begin a rapid descent after passing the Jura.
Pilots followed safety procedures
Easyjet indicates for its part that the pilots of the flight from Edinburgh to Geneva “carried out a go-around in accordance with safety procedures and that the flight then landed safely”. The company specifies that the captain and co-pilot were removed from their flight schedule “for a short period”, adding that this is a “common practice and aligned with our procedure”. Both pilots have since been reinstated to their flight schedule.
“We will always support safety investigations in accordance with procedures, in order to have a complete understanding of past events and to act accordingly if necessary,” underlines the company in its press release.
The low-cost airline Easyjet was created in 1995. It has never experienced a crash.