British media reported an incident involving an EasyJet plane that nearly collided with a mountain while landing at Hurghada Airport on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
The Times reported that the incident occurred on February 2 when the plane, piloted by 61-year-old British pilot Paul Elsworth, approached a 2,329-foot (710-meter) mountain while descending toward Hurghada International Airport on the Red Sea coast from Manchester, England.
The Airbus A320, carrying up to 190 passengers and crew, was moving towards Hurghada when it descended to an altitude of just 3,100 feet (945 meters) above sea level, coming dangerously close to the mountain – as close as 235 meters (770 feet) vertically.
Due to the plane’s close proximity to the mountaintop, the ground proximity warning system in the cockpit was activated, prompting the pilot to take an urgent maneuver by pulling the control stick to adjust the plane’s course and avoid a collision at the last moment.
Airline protocols require planes to avoid mountains by a safe distance of approximately 2,000 meters (6,560 feet), meaning the plane was well outside safe standards.
The newspaper explained that the passengers were unaware of the danger they faced, as the plane landed safely.
The pilot then reported the incident to the company the following day, and was immediately suspended from his duties and returned to Britain as a passenger.
Another crew took over the return flight.
According to aviation experts, the warning system only activates when the aircraft is about to collide with terrain, indicating a potential error in the pilot’s assessment of the landing trajectory or speed.
However, the airline confirmed that it has opened an official investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident.
