DUBAI // A UAE Air Force training jet came within 3.5 seconds of crashing into an Emirates Airline passenger plane taking off from Dubai International Airport, a preliminary incident report has revealed.
The BAE Hawk was conducting exercises in the area when it almost collided with a Boeing 777 flight bound for Istanbul with 431 people on-board.
No one was injured in the incident on February 12, 2013, but General Civil Aviation Authority was notified and an investigation was launched.
For reasons that are still under investigation, the Hawk crew were transmitting on a different frequency than required to communicate with Dubai air-traffic controllers.
The Hawk, which had taken off from Al Minhad Air Base at 7am, had been airborne for 37 minutes before the 777's take-off and had been spotted on several occasions crossing into airspace that it should not have been in.
The Hawk performed a rapid evasive manoeuvre to avoid crashing into the Boeing 777 as it made its ascent.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
Air Force jet in near miss with Emirates flight taking off from Dubai
Authorities are investigating a February 12, 2103, incident when a BAE Hawk came within seconds of hitting an Istanbul-bound Emirates Airline Boeing 777 flight with 431 people on board.
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