A mistake by a novice passenger jet pilot on his fifth training flight sparked a full-scale emergency at Manchester Airport, air accident investigators have found.
The misjudgement by a co-pilot prompted a 'tail strike' as a TUI holiday flight to the Canaries took off from Manchester Airport with 178 passengers on board.
Shocked cabin crew reported they were jolted by 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, causing the tail to strike the runway on take off, according to an official report.
