A veteran air traffic controller reported sheer panic in the cockpit of a “fully loaded” Qatar Airways Dreamliner, which crashed quickly after takeoff from Doha and landed on the water within seconds of hitting the water.
One person threw up, he said — and “people throughout the cabin were screaming.”
Lucas Andersson has been an air traffic controller for 20 years – and on January 10, he happened to be a passenger on flight QR161 from Doha to Copenhagen, a 2am flight that crashed at 50 feet per second shortly after takeoff. According to a Flightradar24.com “replay” of the launch, it came within 250 meters of the water after the initial climb to 550 meters – or 17 seconds.
Mr Andersson, 43, who was traveling with his wife and two sons, aged 11 and 9, with his sister’s family, said: “About 70 seconds into the flight and out of nowhere there is this loud noise like the plane takes off. too much fall
“So we definitely felt it and people were screaming all over the dressing room. A man in front of my sister even threw up, so no chance of this sudden fall going unnoticed by anyone.
A Flightradar24.com (above) “replay” of the January 10 launch of QR161 shows the altitude dropping to 850 feet after initially reaching 1,850 feet. Lucas Andersson, an air traffic controller with 20 years’ experience, who was sitting in the cockpit, said it was as if the plane had been “thrown to the ground”.
“The first thing I did was look out the window to see how high we were, but it was pitch black. My youngest son next to me was very scared – so was I – so I tried to stay calm for him. But it definitely occurred to me… that’s it, we’re going down. Being in the aviation industry, I know how critical the takeoff phase is and descending at that high speed at that altitude is never a good thing. It was very scary. It felt like the plane was being thrown to the ground.”
Mr. Andersson described the plane – a 787-8 with a capacity of almost 250 people – as “occupied with only a handful of empty seats, so basically fully loaded”. And the journey began quietly.
He said: “Everything was normal and there were no delays. We left just 20 minutes after the scheduled time. In the cockpit foreword they said it would be a comfortable flight with only light turbulence predicted for about two hours of flight.’
After the plane’s horrific crash, several people asked the flight attendant what had caused it, but no explanation was forthcoming.
Mr Andersson continued: “That’s one of the things that was really worrying at the time of the incident. Not a single word from the cockpit afterwards, so instead people confronted the flight attendant who just said everything is normal and we’re flying by unexpected weather. They probably didn’t know what was going on either and were just trying to calm people down.”
January 10 flight QR161 landed safely in Copenhagen six hours after taking off from Hamad International Airport in Doha (above, stock image)
The cause of the descent is currently unknown.
According to information from the AV Herald, the first officer flew manually without instructions from the flight director. This is a computer-generated marker on the primary flight display (showing the horizon) that guides pilots on the correct flight path.
The first officer “apparently lost situational awareness” and the aircraft descended so quickly that it “exceeded the flap speed limit”.
The captain took over and regained control, and the plane continued on its way to Copenhagen, where it landed safely six hours after takeoff from Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
A Qatar Airways statement said: “Qatar Airways is aware of an incident related to flight QR161 from Doha to Copenhagen on 10 January 2023. It was immediately reported to the authorities and an internal investigation is ongoing.
Qatar Airways told MailOnline Travel the incident was “immediately” reported to the authorities.
A statement from the airline said: “Qatar Airways is aware of an incident related to flight QR161 from Doha to Copenhagen on 10 January 2023. It was immediately reported to the authorities and an internal investigation is ongoing.
“The airline follows the highest safety, training and reporting standards and is working to resolve all findings in accordance with industry standards.”
Last year, Qatar Airways was named the world’s best airline at the Aviation Oscars for the seventh consecutive year.
The airline beat more than 350 airlines in the 2022 Skytrax World Airline Awards, with Singapore Airlines coming second and Emirates third.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
