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Three seconds from disaster: How Boeing 737 flight from Bristol to Gran Canaria with 163 passengers on board cleared runway by just ten feet and narrowly passed over nearby A-road after software glitch
A passenger jet carrying 163 passengers and nine crew cleared the end of a runway by just ten feet after a software glitch allowed it to take off using too little power.
The TUI Boeing 737-800 was taking off from Bristol Airport's 1.2-mile runway 9 to Gran Canaria on March 4 when it struggled to take off.
The 15-year-old jet took off with just 260 metres (853ft) of runway remaining, clearing the end of the tarmac at a height of just 10 feet. It then passed over the nearby A38 road at less than 100 feet.
When the wheels of the aircraft finally left the ground, it was travelling at around 150kts - meaning it would have run out of runway less than three seconds later.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the Department of Transport is investigating the incident which it describes as 'serious'. They have released a special warning to airlines using the Boeing 737-800 next generation series about the software problem which jeopardised the safety of the flight.
The report said Boeing were aware of the software glitch before the incident which saw the aircraft struggling to get into the air.
According to the AAIB report: 'A Boeing 737-800 completed a takeoff from Runway 09 at Bristol Airport with insufficient thrust to meet regulated performance.'
Aviation experts acknowledge that aircraft taking off with insufficient thrust risk stalling and crashing to the ground.
The Tui Boeing 737-800, pictured, only cleared the end of the runway at a height of 10ft and passed over the A38 at less than 100ft as it lumbered into the air due to the software glitch which selected an 'insufficient thrust' setting
The aircraft's flight management computer logged 11 faults with the jet's autothrottle system
The Air Accident Investigation Branch's preliminary investigation found the aircraft's acceleration performance was significantly worse than other aircraft. The two red lines on the chart show the average performance of 99.7 per cent of other B737s at Bristol Airport
The report states that the aircraft's autothrottle system disengaged when the crew selected takeoff mode. Instead of the required 92.8pc of thrust needed to safely take off, the aircraft lumbered down runway using just 84.5pc.
Neither pilot noticed the potentially fatal lack of power needed to safely take off.
A review of problems on the affected flight showed 11 errors - many of those were related to the aircraft's autothrottle system.
The data showed the system, which is designed to reduce the workload of the flight crew, disengaged twice on the flight.
Performance data collated by the AAIB comparing the flight to other take offs from Bristol Airport showed its acceleration was significantly slower than 99.7 per cent of other aircraft of the same model departing the same airport.
According to the AAIB the autothrottle system on a Boeing 737-800 can control the thrust from takeoff to landing.
Investigators asked Boeing about their autothrottle system who admitted they were aware of a 'long history of nuisance disconnects during takeoff mode engagements'.
The AAIB were able to download the aircraft Flight Data Recorder black box which showed how poorly the jet performed while taking offD
The flight took off from Bristol Airport, pictured, on March 4, 2024 at 11:04am
However, when this disconnects are investigated, 'usually, subsequent functionality checks on the system find no faults'.
Boeing said earlier versions of the system can disconnect when a button is pressed by the flight crew during their normal take off procedure.
According to the AAIB report: 'The manufacturer recommends that any operators of the 737NG who are affected by these disconnects should retrofit their aircraft with the newer model of ASM (autothrottle servo motor) and associated Flight Control Computer software.
The AAIB report said the cockpit voice recorder on the jet only saved the last two hours of the flight so what was said between the two pilots was erased and overwritten by the time they had arrived at Las Palmas airport.
However, investigators were able to retrieve the Flight Data Recorder - the Black Box - which provided them with vital performance data from the aircraft.
This incident is the latest in a string of worrying safety issues which have afflicted Boeing aircraft in the past decade.
Federal prosecutors are considering prosecuting the manufacturer over claims it violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft more than five years ago.
Last month, the US Justice Department told a federal judge about the possible breach.
It is now up to the Justice Department (DOJ) to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than today how they plan to proceed, the department said.
New 737 Max jets crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia, killing 346 people. Boeing reached a £1.97 billion settlement with the Justice Department in January 2021 to avoid prosecution on a single charge of fraud — misleading federal regulators who approved the plane. Boeing blamed the deception on two relatively low-level employees.
In a letter filed on last month in federal court in Texas, Glenn Leon, head of the Justice Department criminal division's fraud section, said Boeing violated terms of the settlement by failing to make promised changes to detect and prevent violations of federal anti-fraud laws.
The determination means that Boeing could be prosecuted 'for any federal criminal violation of which the United States has knowledge', including the charge of fraud that the company hoped to avoid with the settlement, the Justice Department said.
However, it is not clear whether the government will prosecute Boeing.
'The Government is determining how it will proceed in this matter,' the Justice Department said in the court filing.
Boeing will have until June 13 to respond the government's allegation, and the department said it will consider the company's explanation 'in determining whether to pursue prosecution'.
Boeing Co, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, disputed the Justice Department's finding.
'We believe that we have honored the terms of that agreement, and look forward to the opportunity to respond to the Department on this issue,' a Boeing spokesperson said in a statement.
'As we do so, we will engage with the Department with the utmost transparency, as we have throughout the entire term of the agreement, including in response to their questions following the Alaska Airlines 1282 accident.'
A spokesperson for Boeing has said: 'Boeing is supporting the Air Accidents Investigation Branch with its investigation. We refer you to the AAIB for information related to the incident.'
The Boeing 737-800 has a highly advanced cockpit with a plethora of electronic systems to reduce the workload of the captain and first officer
Traditionally, one of the flight crew was responsible for physically moving the throttles, but on the 737-800 this process can be fully automated with the throttle settings inputted into the jet's flight management computer
Boeing has come under renewed scrutiny since that Alaska Airlines flight in January, when a door plug blew out of a 737 Max, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the jetliner.
The company is under multiple investigations into the blowout and its manufacturing quality. The FBI has told passengers from the flight that they might be victims of a crime.
Prosecutors said they will meet on May 31 with families of passengers who died in the two Max crashes. Family members were angry and disappointed after a similar meeting last month.
Paul Cassell, a lawyer who represents families of passengers in the second crash, said the Justice Department's determination that Boeing breached the settlement terms is 'a positive first step, and for the families, a long time coming'.
Investigations into the crashes pointed to a flight-control system that Boeing added to the Max without telling pilots or airlines. Boeing downplayed the significance of the system, then did not overhaul it until after the second crash.
After secret negotiations, the government agreed not to prosecute Boeing on a charge of defrauding the United States by deceiving regulators about the flight system.
The settlement included a £192.4 million) fine, a £395 million fund for victim compensation, and nearly £1.4 billion to airlines whose Max jets were grounded for nearly two years.
Boeing has faced civil lawsuits, congressional investigations and massive damage to its business since the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The manufacturer's outgoing CEO Dave Calhoun will testify before a US Senate panel later this month to answer questions about safety and production issues at the aircraft manufacturer.
The June 18 appearance in front of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations follows an April hearing, in which four whistleblowers alleged there was safety problems in the production of three of the four commercial planes currently produced by Boeing -- the 737 MAX, the 787 Dreamliner and the 777.
'I look forward to Mr. Calhoun's testimony, which is a necessary step in meaningfully addressing Boeing's failures, regaining public trust, and restoring the company's central role in the American economy and national defense,' said Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who chairs the subcommittee.
A spokesperson for TUI told MailOnline: 'We have worked closely with the authorities to provide all available information. The AAIB recommendations and learnings resulting from this take-off will support the whole aviation sector and other airlines.
'The safety of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority.'
MailOnline has approached the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) and Boeing for a comment about this most recent incident.
Full timeline of Boeing problems in 2024
January 5
On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California.
That part is designed to replace an unneeded emergency exit door, and it blew out within just 20 minutes of takeoff.
An emergency landing was required and the plane landed safely, but a teddy bear, two mobile phones, a child's t-shirt were all said to have have flown out during the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 of the 737 Max 9s in the aftermath and six of the flight's passengers went on to sue the airline.
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines also went on to find loose parts on their grounded jets' door plugs.
On January 5, Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 - a Boeing 737 Max 9 - lost a door plug at 16,000 feet on a flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California
The missing door panel was found in a high school physics teacher's back yard
January 16
An anonymous whistleblower broke rank to say that the door plug blowout 'was Boeing's fault', rather than its supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
First reported by The Seattle Times, they claimed the fuselage panel was removed for repair then reinstalled improperly at its Washington factory
'The reason the door blew off is stated in black and white in Boeings own records,' they wrote on aviation site Leeham News.
'It is also very, very stupid and speaks volumes about the quality culture at certain portions of the business.'
February 6
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report said that the January 5 incident was down to four crucial bolds being missing from the panel which blew out.
February 21
Boeing's 737 Max program chief, Ed Clark, was reportedly fired in a structural shakeup at the company.
Clark was also general manager at the company's Renton, Washington, facility and had been at Boeing for 18 years.
He was replaced by Katie Ringgold, while a 'senior vice president of quality' role was created too.
March 3
A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 veered off the runway after landing in Houston due to some sort of gear collapse.
Shocking footage showed the plane lying flat on its wings on grass by the side of the runway, while passengers were hurried off from an emergency gate ladder.
A Boeing 737 Max operated by United Airlines veered off the tarmac into the grass when exiting the runway at George Bush Airport in Houston early Friday
March 4
An audit by the FAA of both Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems 'found multiple instances where the companies allegedly failed to comply with manufacturing quality control requirements'.
March 6
The head of the NTSB accused Boeing of 'not cooperating' with its investigation into the January incident.
Jennifer Homendy said investigators sought the names of the 25 people who work on door plugs at the Renton facility, but had not received them from Boeing.
She told a Senate Committee hearing 'it is absurd that two months later we don't have it'.
However, Boeing spokesperson Connor Greenwood pushed back and insisted that names of employees were provided 'early in the investigation'.
The same day, a 737's engine caught fire in mid-air above Texas, causing an emergency landing minutes into its journey to Fort Myers, Florida.
March 7
A wheel fell off a Boeing 777-200 shortly after takeoff from San Francisco, crushing cars below.
The plane with 235 passengers and 14 crew diverted to Los Angeles Airport after it was alerted to the landing gear failure and landed safely with no further incident and no injuries reported on the ground.
March 9
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, 62 - a former quality control manager and employee of 32 years - was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against the company in a lawsuit.
The coroner put it down to a 'self-inflicted' gunshot wound in the head, though the police confirmed that they would investigate further.
Barnett had made a string of complaints to his higher-ups in his time as a quality control manager before leaving the company on health grounds in 2017.
In January 2024, he appeared on TMZ to say that the 737 Max 9 aircraft were being launched back into the air too soon in the wake of the accident, suggesting corners had been cut.
Boeing whistleblower John Barnett was found dead in his truck outside a South Carolina hotel days after testifying against his former employer
March 11
A Boeing 777 was was forced to land due to hydraulic fluid spewing from its landing gear area.
The forced landing happened as the San Francisco-bound 777-300 embarked from Sydney, with fluid filmed leaking from its undercarriage.
March 15
A United Airlines 737 was grounded after it was found to be missing a panel after it touched down successfully in Medford Airport, Oregon, despite the missing part.
March 20
A Boeing 737 900 bound for Atlanta was forced to turn back and make an emergency landing after an engine blow out on take-off from Aruba.
The Delta flight circled the Caribbean island four times before coming back into land following the 'mechanical issue'.
March 29
United Airlines flight 990 - a Boeing 777-200 - from San Francisco to Paris had to touch down early in Denver after engine problems.
April 4
Alaska Airlines announced that they had received $160 million in compensation from Boeing after their 737 Max 9s were grounded following the January 5 door blowout.
The amount was equal to the revenue lost according to a filing from the airline, but Alaska added that it anticipated receiving extra compensation too.
April 10
Another whistleblower, Sam Salehpour, came forward in a Senate committee hearing to accuse Boeing of taking shortcuts when building its 777 and 787 Dreamliner jets and added that the company had retaliated against him when he raised concerns.
He doubled down on the claims a week later, adding on NBC that 787s should be grounded fearing 'fatal flaws' which could case them to fall apart mid-air.
In a 1,500 word statement, Boeing said it was 'fully confident' in the 787 and called concerns about structural integrity 'inaccurate.'
Pictured: Boeing engineer Sam Salehpour testifies before the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations on April 17
April 11
An internal Boeing review in response to an initial Wall Street Journal investigation found that CEO Dave Calhoun and other bosses at the aviation firm spent $500,000 on company private jets for personal trips which were improperly recorded as business travel.
Boeing's review concluded that some of the flights taken by executives in 2021 and 2022 'were not previously classified as perquisites by the company'.
In the company's proxy filing on April 5, Boeing said that these flights 'should have been classified as such in accordance with SEC rules and guidance'.
April 16
United Airlines indicated it will reduce reliance on Boeing after announcing a $124m loss in the first quarter of 2024, which it blamed on the scandal-laden manufacturer.
April 24
Boeing's CEO assured investors after a first-quarter loss of $355m was announced which coincided with a six per cent dip in share prices.
Calhoun added that he had a successor lined up for his departure at the end of 2024 who would come from inside the company.
April 26
Delta flight 520 was forced to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport when an emergency slide fell off the Boeing 767 an hour into its journey to Los Angeles.
FAA records indicated that the plane was 33 years old.
April 30
Joshua Dean (pictured) died suddenly on April 30 aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets
Dean was employed by Spirit AeroSystems based in Wichita, Kansas
A second whistleblower, Joshua Dean, died suddenly aged 45 having raised the alarm about supposed defects in 737 Max jets.
The former Spirit employee previously said he was fired from his quality auditing role for questioning standards at the supplier's plant in Wichita, Kansas, in October 2022.
His family said on social media that Dean died in hospital after a sudden illness.
Earlier in 2024, Dean spoke with NPR about being fired. 'I think they were sending out a message to anybody else. If you are too loud, we will silence you,' he said.
May 6
The US Federal Aviation Administration revealed it has opened an investigation into Boeing after the company reported that workers at a South Carolina plant falsified inspection records on certain 787 planes.
Boeing said its engineers have determined that misconduct did not create 'an immediate safety of flight issue'.
No planes have been taken out of service, but having to perform the test out of order on planes will slow the delivery of jets still being built at the final assembly plant in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Boeing must also create a plan to address planes that are already flying, the FAA said.
Shocking footage showed the moment the plane attempted an emergency landing, smashing down into the runway and scraping its nose along the concrete
May 8
A FedEx Airlines Boeing cargo plane landed at Istanbul Airport without the front landing gear deployed and managed to stay on the runway, Turkey's transport ministry said, adding that there were no casualties.
The Boeing 767 aircraft, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, informed the traffic control tower at Istanbul Airport that its landing gear failed to open and it landed with guidance from the tower, the ministry said in its statement.
Airport rescue and fire fighting teams made necessary preparations on the runway before landing, and no one was injured, the ministry also said, without giving a reason for the failure.
Footage showed sparks flying and smoke billowing as the front end of the plane scraped along the runway before being doused with firefighting foam.
May 9
A Corendon Airlines Boeing 737 plane's front tire burst upon landing at an airport in southern Turkey on Thursday, the Turkish transport minister said, adding there were no casualties and all 190 passengers and crew were evacuated.
The front landing gear strut was damaged on the Corendon Airlines plane, arriving from Cologne, Germany, as it landed at Alanya-Gazipasa airport in Antalya.
The same day, a Boeing passenger plane came off the runway during takeoff from Dakar international airport, injuring 11 people and shutting the hub for hours.
A Boeing 738 plane of Corendon Airlines that operated Cologne-Antalya flight gets stuck on runway due to a burst tire in Antalya, Turkiye on May 9, 2024
Pictures from the scene in Turkey showed the stationary aircraft on the tarmac flanked by emergency vehicles - its front wheels and landing gear crumpled underneath. Corendon Airlines denied Turkish reports that the aircraft had landed on its nose
In this grab taken from video people jump down emergency slides, running from a plane, in Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. A Boeing 737 plane carrying 85 people caught fire and skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 11 people
The Air Senegal flight was bound for the Malian capital Bamako and had 78 passengers on board, plus a crew of six including two pilots, airport management company LAS said in a statement.
Images showed the aircraft in an overgrown area with first aiders surrounding an injured person. Smoke and flames are also visible near the plane.
Also on May 9, the US Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating statements made by Boeing Co. about its safety practices after a mid-air panel blowout on a 737 MAX flight in January.
The SEC will examine whether the planemaker or its executives misled investors in violation of the Wall Street regulator's rules, the report said, citing three people familiar with the development.
May 14
Boeing has violated a settlement that allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution after two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max aircraft more than five years ago, the Justice Department told a federal judge.
It is now up to the Justice Department (DOJ) to decide whether to file charges against Boeing. Prosecutors will tell the court no later than July 7 how they plan to proceed, the department said.
May 21
One person died and others were injured on a flight from London to Singapore which plummeted 6,000ft in five minutes before making an emergency landing in Thailand.
The Boeing 777 plane operated by Singapore Airlines left the UK's Heathrow airport on Monday evening at 22.17pm local time with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board.
However, flight SQ321 experienced severe turbulence while flying close to Myanmar airspace in a region being battered by extreme tropical thunderstorms.
Pictured: Passengers are seen in the cabin after the incident on Tuesday, with belongings strewn across the floor and oxygen masks dangling from above
Passengers are seen on the Singapore Airlines plane after it made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday. Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling, as did other components
Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, (pictured) who ran the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol, was on board the plane when the incident happened
After around 11 hours of flying time from take off in London, the aircraft sharply dropped from an altitude of around 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet within just five minutes as it finished traversing the Andaman Sea and neared Thailand.
Boeing said: 'We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them.
'We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew.'