A Wizz Air flight carrying 168 passengers and crew came within seconds of disaster after pilots made a critical takeoff programming error, according to investigators.
The incident involved Wizz Air Flight 4511, which was departing London Luton Airport for Athens last April when the mistake happened, according to findings from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
Investigators said the pilots had originally planned to use the full length of the runway. But after they were instructed to use an intersection departure instead, meaning the plane would take off from a shorter section of runway, they failed to update the aircraft’s management computer.
Because of that error, the Boeing 737-800 attempted takeoff with the wrong power setting.
“A change from the planned departure point led to the aircraft taking off with an incorrect power setting,” the AAIB report said.
The mistake meant the aircraft was using less power than required for the shorter runway distance. As a result, it took longer to lift off and climbed more slowly than it should have.
By the point where the plane finally became airborne, the aircraft’s system had expected it to already be 36 feet in the air.
The flight was carrying 168 passengers and crew at the time.
According to The Times, the pilot in command had more than 10,000 hours of flying experience and was considered highly experienced.
The flight was operated by Ascend Airways, a U.K.-based carrier that collapsed in April following a surge in oil prices.
Despite the serious error, the aircraft continued operating that day and completed three additional flights after the incident.
