Holiday jet '30 seconds' from crash with glider over Glasgow Airport
PA
A Thomson Airways plane had a 'scarily close' near-miss with a glider as it was coming in to land at Glasgow Airport, an inquiry has found.
The Boeing 757 was carrying holidaymakers from Verona back to Glasgow when it dropped to 3,000ft to prepare for landing.
But air traffic controllers warned the crew that their radar had detected an aircraft in the area, and told them to watch out for it.
The pilot spotted the glider just two miles away, and with a flight speed of 230mph carrying 289 passengers, this meant they were just 30 seconds from disaster.
The glider had a wingspan of 49ft, and the pilot managed to miss it by just 1,000ft by banking the plane to the right.
According to the Express, the Airprox Board inquiry officially rated the incident a risk B, the second highest category where 'safety is not assured' and 'the safety of the aircraft was compromised'.
The near-miss took place in Class E airspace, meaning that it can be used by any aircraft, including those not in contact with air traffic controllers.
But, since the incident, the Civil Aviation Authority has changed the area to Class D, so gliders or light aircraft must be in touch with air traffic controllers.
The Discus BT glider pilot was midway through a cross-country flight south from an airfield at Portmoak, Fife, when the almost-accident happened on 27 July at around 4pm.
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