Easyjet nose dive

[efq]

In what was described by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) as a "serious incident", a pilot misunderstanding led to near disaster.

At one point the Boeing 737, on a test flight, was descending at a rate of 21,000 feet per minute with the nose 30 degrees down, the AAIB report said.
There was "confusion between the two pilots" with the 43-year-old captain incorrectly believing that hydraulic power - which was switched off for the test - had been restored to the flight controls.

The captain rolled the aircraft left at more than 90 degrees to try to stabilise it and made an emergency call to air traffic controllers before the plane eventually recovered from the dive at about 5,600ft.
Following the January 12 incident, the pilots abandoned their test and customer demonstration flight and took the plane safely back to Southend.
The report said the plane was at the end of its lease and had just undergone maintenance before being handed on to another operator.
In December 2008, the test flight captain had flown the plane to Southend and noted that the "amount of manual stabiliser trim wheel adjustment" required to balance the aircraft in level flight was only just within the approved maintenance manual limits.

After the December 2008 flight the captain had verbally requested that this matter be looked at but did not to enter it in the tech log.
As no written instructions were left, the small, moveable balance tabs on the tail of the aircraft were later moved in the wrong direction - a change which led to the "pitch-down incident" in the January flight.
The AAIB said easyJet suspended further check flights until it had carried out a review of maintenance procedures, check-pilot procedures and flight-check procedures.
An AAIB spokesman said there were two passengers on board but they were only designated as such as they were not part of the aircraft's flight crew.
He added: "However, they were on board in their professional capacity and were not fare-paying members of the public."

Lol, more and more incidents every week lol.

[xxMATTGxx]

This was in January though?

[efq]

This was in January though?

Today I think, its been on all the news today?

[Four]

yeah it says january

[BeanEgg]

That never happens to commercial jets, who would even attempt to do that. Even during testing. Only when manufactured? :S

That's a severe stall I think.