Passengers injured in mid-air near miss

A Portuguese airliner dived sharply to avoid a mid-air collision with a smaller aircraft near the Azores Islands today, injuring 23 passengers and two crew.

The TAP Air Portugal Airbus A310, carrying 131 passengers and eight crew from Lisbon, was on its approach to the mid-Atlantic islands when a cockpit alarm and the local air traffic control tower warned the pilot of an imminent collision with a twin-engine Beechcraft crossing its path, officials said.

The jetliner went into a steep descent and those on board who were not wearing seat belts were thrown against the plane’s ceiling. None of the injuries was said to be serious.

The Beechcraft, which belonged to private Portuguese airline Omni, was flying to Cascais, near Lisbon, officials said.

The TAP Air Portugal plane landed safely and some of those hurt were taken to hospital, the flag-carrier said in a statement. The Beechcraft continued its flight.

Authorities said they were opening an official investigation into the incident.

The Azores are about 900 miles west of Portugal.