Chartered jet headed for private airstrip

A CHARTER aircraft with 148 passengers and crew came close to landing at a private, unlicensed airfield outside Belfast instead of at Aldergrove airport last July, it has emerged.

Passengers on board the flight were also terrified at the unstable manner in which the aircraft eventually touched down.

The incident took place on July 18 last on board a Boeing 737 aircraft flying from Liverpool to Aldergrove. The flight was operated by Spanish airline, Futura, on behalf of British carrier, Easyjet.

The pilot only became aware that he was preparing to land at a private, unlicensed airfield at Langford Lodge — which is located over three miles from Aldergrove Airport — when he was warned about flying at an unusually low altitude by air traffic controllers.

It is estimated that the aircraft was as low as 50ft off the ground when it was instructed to initiate an emergency climb.

The flight crew informed passengers that a landing had not been possible due to a blocked runway.

An official investigation by British aviation authorities revealed the flight crew were aware of Langford airfield, but still mistook it for Aldergrove, despite excellent visibility.

Even when the pilot initiated a sudden climb and go-around to reposition the aircraft for landing at its proper destination, air traffic controllers were still concerned that the flight crew had not properly identified the correct runway because of the plane’s erratic approach.

Several passengers were visibly upset about the actual manner of landing at Aldergrove, while at least one person made an official complaint to the airline.

The official investigation also showed that the plane was descending at twice the normal speed as it made its initial approach to Langford Lodge.

It found the flight crew were probably so focused on flying the aircraft and preparing for landing that they failed to realise they had mistaken the private airfield for Aldergrove.

The report said the aircraft’s subsequent approach and landing in Belfast caused more concern to passengers than the missed approach at Langford Lodge.

It noted that the 39-year-old pilot should have carried out a further go-around because of the erratic nature of the approach.

The incident also bears a strong similarity with another incident last March when a Ryanair flight bound for City of Derry Airport mistakenly landed at a military airfield five miles away.

The flight, which was being operated on Ryanair’s behalf by Eirjet, touched down safely at Ballykelly army camp in Co Derry.

An investigation into that incident is expected to blame pilot error for landing at the wrong airport.