Virgin Australia pilot entered wrong data into plane that flew too low

The captain of a Virgin Australia plane who entered the wrong data into the aircraft causing it to fly too low upon landing may have been "fatigued", safety investigators have concluded.

The aircraft was flying from Los Angeles to Melbourne 15 August 2013 with 272 passengers and 17 crew members on board when it was cleared for landing.

The landing gear and flaps had been set before the autopilot increased the rate of descent from about 700ft per minute to 1,500ft.

See also: 15 flights we're glad we weren't on

The first officer quickly noticed the rate of descent was greater than the crew expected, and the captain then attempted to reduce the rate of descent before turning off the autopilot and taking manual control.

Red lights in the cockpit also indicated the plane was "well below" the correct glide path.

The pilot managed to correct the path and landed the plane safely.

According to stuff.co.nz, in its final report in to the incident, The Australia Transport Safety Bureau found the captain "inadvertently entered an erroneous height against a way point", resulting in the aircraft increasing its rate of descent and flying lower than it should.

The Daily Mail reports that investigators found the crew were "probably experiencing fatigue due to extended wakefulness".

Investigators added the incident "reinforces the importance of monitoring descent profiles, irrespective of any expectation that the descent is being appropriately managed by the auto-flight system, and taking appropriate action when a deviation from the desired profile is detected".

Related articles

British redhead told: "You're too pale to fly"

New plane seat design: A bit more leg, a lot more eye contact

Fight attendants suffer fractured spine and pelvis in severe turbulence