Emirates plane flew at very low altitude, UAE investigators say

An Emirates flight to Washington failed to climb to the appropriate altitude during takeoff from Dubai and flew too low above a densely populated neighborhood, according to a preliminary report by aviation investigators. 

The shallow climb of the Boeing 777 on Dec. 19 was classified as “serious” in a preliminary report released Thursday by the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority. The incident didn’t result in any damage or injuries to the 372 on board. 

An Emirates spokesperson declined to comment on the report, the first of two recent close calls with the world’s biggest long-distance carrier. A safety probe is also under way into a Jan. 9 mishap in Dubai, when an Emirates 777 had to abort takeoff to Hyderabad, India, because another of the airline’s planes taxied across the runway.

The pilot in the December flight said she placed the altitude selector to 4,000 feet, which is standard, after noticing it set to 0000 feet during cockpit preparation, according to the report. However, the rate of climb on the 777 aircraft only reached about 800 feet per minute. 

About 32 seconds after lift-off, two settings were changed, according to the report. The plane, carrying 354 passengers and 18 crew, gained altitude as it flew over the sea and continued on to Dulles International in the U.S. An overspeed warning was also generated after the plane gained airspeed.

“The commander stated that after lift-off, and during climb, she followed the flight director command,” according to the report. “The flight crew were not able to adhere to published climb gradient of the SID due to the shallow climb,” it said, referring to standard instrument departure route, or the path set before takeoff.

According to an earlier report in The Air Current, which cited Flightradar24 and a notice to Emirates pilots, the plane came within 175 feet of impacting the ground. The incident may have been due to “incorrect setting” of the autopilot in the plane’s pre-flight setup, it said.

The UAE report said the cockpit voice recording was overwritten, without explaining how it happened. 

The investigation into the root cause, airline procedures and any other safety matters is ongoing.