‘It sounded and looked like it was going to crash’: Low-flying plane startles Gloucester locals

A321LR was undergoing tests

The moment an aeroplane flew startlingly low over a residential area has been captured by shocked locals.

The new Airbus jet dropped to just 2,000 feet over streets in Filton, Patchway and Almondsbury in Gloucester as part of a noise test.

Residents in the area described the passover as “amazing”, with one writing on Facebook: “It was great having an aircraft passover.”

But others said the low-flying plane was “stupid” and left people “panicked”.

One woman wrote: “How stupid without pre-warning people. Was so low to my mum's house, she was home alone and panicked.

”I was also at home with my children, it sounded and looked like it was going to crash.“

However, Airbus have responded to residents' concerns by assuring them that the plane would not have flown any lower than 2,000 feet, in accordance with strict rules.

A spokesperson said: ”They can go to a certain height to do manoeuvres, like simulating the start of a landing and operating the landing gear.

“This aircraft will not have gone any lower than 2,000 feet - that’s the limit.”

The A321LR Neo is part of the Airbus A320 family of narrow-body airliners. The LR stands for long-range, while the Neo stands for 'new engine option'.

According to Airbus, a single A321LR Neo is worth $129.5m (£95m).

The aircraft completed its maiden flight in January 2018 and is currently undergoing a nearly 100 hour test-flight programme, which included its Filton flyover.