Safety probe into altitude loss of AirAsia X flights over Gold Coast

An official investigation has begun into two ‘serious’ incidents involving AirAsia X passenger jets that dropped to unsafe heights over the Gold Coast last week.

Both incidents are alleged to have happened when the crews of the 330-seat jets lost visibility while searching for the airport.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which investigates breaches of air traffic regulations, last night declared both incidents “serious” in a brief posting on its website.

The report notes the twin-engine Airbus was being flown on instruments when it “went below the lowest safe radar altitude” at 7.36 am on May 4.

A similar incident involving the same aircraft type from the same airline occurred a day earlier, the Bureau reported, noting that no one was injured on either occasion.

Further details of both incidents, including the heights to which the jets dropped and how many passengers were aboard, are not yet available.

Last night, an ATSB official said the crews of the jets would be interviewed, but was not able to state what was exchanged in radio transmissions between the AirAsia X pilots and air traffic controllers during last week’s incidents.

AirAsia X operates budget flights from both the Gold Coast and Melbourne to Malaysia and sells the lowest-priced fares between Melbourne and London.

A similar incident in Russia recently claimed the lives of the Polish president, his wife and their official party because the pilot of their jet failed to heed advice from air traffic controllers after it was found that their plane had lost its way and had dropped below the minimum safe radar level while on final approach to an airport.

A spokesman for the airline confirmed it was co-operating with the ATSB investigation into last week’s “lower than normal approaches to Gold Coast airport”.

“AirAsia is working collaboratively with ATSB to ensure that all directives and procedures are complied with and that any anomalies are identified and rectified,” the spokesman said in a statement.

Source: news.com.au