Liverpool Echo
·Aug 2026
‘Tired’ pilot caused plane to tilt 44 degrees during terrifying landing attempt
An Aer Lingus Airbus A320 flying from Faro to Dublin on January 14, 2025, entered a 44-degree bank during an attempted approach after arriving too high and too fast. The commander, who said he had not slept well and may have been tired, disconnected the autopilot and attempted an orbit to lose altitude, causing degraded situational awareness, dangerously low speed and an overshoot of the cleared altitude. Automatic protections helped recover the aircraft, which executed a go-around and landed safely. Aer Lingus subsequently banned orbit manoeuvres during approaches except in training and advised crews to go around whenever a safe landing is in doubt.