A “serious” software glitch meant a plane taking off from Bristol Airport barely cleared the end of the runway.
The TUI Boeing 737-800 was departing for Gran Canaria on 4 March when issues with the auto-throttle emerged, and the incident is now being examined by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
The jet – carrying 163 passengers and six crew members, only managed to take to the sky with 260m (853ft) of runway remaining and cleared the end of the tarmac at a height of just 3m (10ft).
It then passed over the nearby A38 at a height of under 30m (100ft).
The aircraft’s acceleration performance was significantly worse than other aircraft taking off at Bristol Airport….
