Home » News » Investigation launched after Qatar Airways Boeing 787 suddenly drops altitude

9 February, 2023

Investigation launched after Qatar Airways Boeing 787 suddenly drops altitude

Vienna, Schwechat - January 07, 2023: An Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft of Qatar Airways landing in Vienna coming from Doha

A Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner heading to Denmark was involved in an alarming incident last month that saw the plane suddenly lose altitude, leading to an internal investigation at the airline.

Details have since emerged about how the aircraft dropped below 1,000 feet while flying over the Persian Gulf as it was exiting Qatar Airway’s Doha hub.

This incident occurred in the early morning of 10 January, with a chain of event culminating in the plane’s sharp drop following the flight’s departure. The plane reached a peak of 1,850 feet, according to FlightRadar24.com, and started dropping at a rate of 3,000 feet per minute, bottoming out at 850 feet.

FlightRadar24

The first officer was manning the aircraft at the time of its departure, but the captain stepped in to stop the plane’s descent. The plane began climbing back to its appropriate altitude following this.

So why did this happen?

Simple Flying reported that a key factor was the first officer who lost awareness during the plane’s ascent. This was worsened by the fact that the pilots were making a manual turn from one waypoint to another, turning the plane from a heading of 157 degrees to 110 degrees.

Qatar Airways confirmed the incident in an official statement:

“Qatar Airways is aware of an event relating to flight QR161 operating from Doha to Copenhagen on 10 January 2023,” the airline wrote.

“It was immediately reported to authorities and an internal investigation is being carried out. The airline follows the most stringent standards of safety, training and reporting and is working to address any findings in line with industry norms.”

The flight ended up making good time, landing 23 minutes early.

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