Ryanair pilot demoted over low runway approach

A RYANAIR pilot has been demoted after creating a serious incident by flying a plane just over 400 feet above hundreds of homes on its approach to Cork Airport last summer.

An investigation by the Department of Transport’s Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) found the airline’s Sunday afternoon service from Stansted was proceeding normally when the cockpit crew realised their approach was far too high.

The two-year-old Boeing 737-800 was carrying 128 passengers and six crew during the incident on June 4 in perfect flying conditions, commanded by a pilot with almost 8,000 hours of experience in such aircraft.

The first officer advised the pilot they should make a go-around, which would entail climbing straight ahead to an altitude of 3,000 feet, and awaiting direction from air traffic control.

He was also more aware of the height above ground and repeatedly advised the pilot of the height loss and tried to initiate a checklist.

However, the pilot ignored his advice, suggesting instead they do an orbit and re-approach. The plane broke to its right over the runway, turning west and then north and east again, completing a full circle as it approached the suburb of Bishopstown for a second approach.

The AAIU report published yesterday said radar information shows the plane quickly lost altitude, dropping to just 425 feet above ground level — around twice the height of nearby Cork County Hall — as it flew in a right-hand turn over Bishopstown before turning for a direct approach to the airport, which is around 50 feet higher above sea level than Bishopstown.

The first officer heard the aircraft’s warning system sound a ‘too low’ caution twice during this final turn.

“The flight of the aircraft in this area was witnessed and reported on to the Cork Airport Authority by at least 16 upset residents, whose independent and consistent complaints, submitted by phone and in writing, referred to noise and how low the aircraft was being flown,” the report said.

It said the pilot conceded after landing normally at 4.53pm that a standard go-around would have been a better decision.

The report suggests the relative inexperience of the first officer, with 850 hours of Boeing 737-800 flying time, may have been a factor in the pilot’s attitude to him. It concluded the residents’ complaints were justified.

A Ryanair spokeswoman said the airline co-operated fully with the investigation.

“Following a disciplinary hearing, the pilot in question was demoted for deviating from Ryanair’s standard operating procedures,” she said.