From bomb hoaxes to near misses, a UFO sighting and fighting newlyweds, a catalogue of aviation safety problems in Welsh airspace was revealled by Wales on Sunday yesterday. Planes almost colliding, rowdy passengers and distracted air traffic controllers are some of the safety threats we unearthed in our investigation, it reports.
The data, released under the Freedom of Information Act, also includes emergency reports of 8 near-misses involving military jets or private planes veering across commercial flight-paths. All such incidents within a 50 mile radius of Cardiff Airport have to be logged by pilots with the Civil Aviation Authority, even if they turn out to be a false alarm.
The report seen by Wales on Sunday also details more than 170 on-board safety threats reported by pilots of commercial flights since 2002 - which 'range from the frightening to the bizarre.'
One of the scariest moments was in 2005 when an air traffic controller at Cardiff Airport forgot he was in charge of landing two planes. A 70-passenger Fokker aircraft and a private plane were both allowed to approach the runway at the same time – and neither pilot could see the other. Disaster was only averted because the passenger plane’s emergency warning system told the pilot to make a sharp turn.
In 2006 there was another near-miss thanks to a trainee controller who ‘changed her mind’ about the movements of a Boeing 757 and a Boeing 737, which were carrying up to 460 passengers between them. ‘Cardiff controllers issued turns to their respective aircraft that resulted in the aircraft turning towards each other,’ the report said.
Also in 2006 cabin crew in a parked Boeing 737 alerted Cardiff Airport authorities to a note left on the plane saying there was a bomb on board. It turned out to be a hoax. Passengers were also put at risk that year as they boarded their flight after they were allowed to get too close to another plane’s engines which were running in preparation for take-off.
And ground staff at Cardiff Airport spotted a UFO in the same year, which they originally thought was a large military helicopter. Despite attempts by air traffic control to track down the aircraft, no trace of it could be found.
Police were called to escort a drunk newlywed couple off a flight at the airport after they became too rowdy in 2004. The report said: ‘Both passengers (newlyweds!) had been drinking and were using abusive language to each other, but not to the crew. The air bridge was re-connected to the aircraft.'
'The cabin attendant was then told that the male passenger was remaining on the aircraft and that the female passenger was getting off. They were informed that if one disembarked then both must leave. Police attendance was requested and both passengers were escorted off the aircraft and made aware as to the seriousness of their actions.’
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