Qatar Airways launches investigation into near miss in horror takeoff from Doha

New information has been released involving a Qatar Airways Dreamliner, which had trouble on takeoff on 10 January. Photo / Arkin Si, Unsplash

Qatar Airways has launched an investigation after one of its Boeing 787s came within seconds of hitting the Gulf shortly after takeoff, from its Doha base at Hamad International Airport.

Flight records show on January 10 at 2am, the departing aircraft A7-BCO made a sharp nosedive after departure for Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Dreamliner aircraft climbed steadily to 550 metres when it unexpectedly lost altitude. Falling 300 metres in 24 seconds. The aircraft came within metres of the water before recovering control and regaining altitude.

Flight QR161 continued safely to Copenhagen and no further details were reported at the time.

Public flight data shows QR161's dramatic near miss with the waters of the Persian Gulf.

New information published by the Aviation Herald yesterday says that the first officer was at the controls at the time flying manually and without flight director indications when he realised the aircraft was in a sharp descent. The Aviation Herald understands that the pilot “lost situational awareness”.

Taking off in darkness the pilot had become disoriented to the aircraft’s rapid descent.

The plane was shown to have exceeded “flap speed limits” which are in place to reduce pressures on wings during takeoff and landing.

Data shows that the plane was falling at a rate of 15.24 metres per second before the first officer took action. The aircraft came within 250 metres of the water surface before regaining altitude.

A statement to media from the carrier said the incident was reported immediately and investigation was ongoing.

“Qatar Airways is aware of an event relating to flight QR161 operating from Doha to Copenhagen on 10 January 2023. It was immediately reported to authorities and an internal investigation is being carried out. The airline follows the most stringent standards of safety, training and reporting and is working to address any findings in line with industry norms.”

This “near miss” is a rare occurrence for the Qatari carrier.

Qatar Airways has an exemplary safety record with seven stars from Airline Ratings.