Blundering crew are blamed for near miss

A REPORT into an incident where an Iranian Airbus was just seconds from disaster has revealed the flight crew were at fault.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report also revealed the Mahan Air aircraft was just 164 ft off the ground when it flew over Honiley in February 2006 as it approached Birmingham International Airport.

The investigation found the main cause of the incident was the flight crew using incorrect distance measuring equipment but it also drew attention to poor communication between the Iranian crew.

They thought they were flying far higher than they actually were and it was only the timely intervention of an eagle-eyed air traffic controller that averted disaster.

Initial reports suggested the aircraft was 600 ft off the ground but the real figure was in actual fact much lower.

In April this year Mahan Air ceased flying into BIA after being banned from entering any European Union country. It followed alerts regarding the the airline from several EU countries.

A spokeswoman for BIA said: "The airport is pleased that the AAIB report involving Mahan Air has been released and can now bring clarity and closure to the incident which occurred on February 23 2006.

"The report highlights the timely and positive intervention by air traffic control and we praise this action taken by the Birmingham-based controller involved.

"The airline ceased operating from Birmingham International Airport on April 27 and is currently prohibited from operating flights in Europe."

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