A "very big bang" was heard on board a TUI aircraft after a novice co-pilot made a mistake, air accident investigators have found.
A full-scale emergency was launched at Manchester Airport after a TUI holiday flight to the Canaries took off with 178 passengers on board. The misjudgement by a passenger jet pilot on his fifth training flight resulted in the tail of the plane striking the runway on take off.
Cabin crew reported hearing a "very big bang" as the trainee pilot, being tutored by an experienced commander, increased the pitch of the Boeing 737-800 too sharply on the long-bodied jet, according to an official report.
