Air France pilot says plane ‘went nuts’ before aborted landing, reveals cockpit audio

‘The airplane is pretty much going nuts,’ said pilot before performing a go-around

An Air France Boeing 777 (Getty Images)

Air safety investigators have opened an enquiry into an Air France flight after it aborted landing on Tuesday, with cockpit audio revealing pilots said the plane was “going nuts”.

Pilots appeared to struggle to control the Boeing 777 on descent into Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, with a recording from the cockpit capturing a fraught exchange between crew and air traffic control.

Officers are heard saying “Wait! stop stop!” and then “I’ll call you back! I’ll call you back!” while emergency alarms sound in the background.

One pilot adds: “The aeroplane is pretty much going nuts.”

The air traffic controller responded: “I’ve seen on the radar, it swayed to the left.”

The audio has since been posted to YouTube.

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Describing it as “a serious incident”, France’s Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) said that it had noted “instability of flight controls on final, go-around, hard controls, flight path oscillations”.

Flight AF11 from New York JFK to Paris CDG, operated on a Boeing 777, was on approach to runway 26L when the incident occurred.

After the panic in the cockpit, the pilots were able to perform a go-around at 1,200ft before returning and landing safely in Paris.

Last February, Boeing 777s around the world were grounded after the US’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced an investigation into a United Airlines flight that suffered an engine failure over Denver.

No one onboard was injured in the incident on 20 February 2021, as the United Airlines plane returned safely to Denver International Airport shortly after the engine problem.

An Air France spokesperson said: “Air France confirms that the crew of flight AF011 on 4 April 2022 from New York JFK to Paris-CDG aborted their landing sequence and performed a go-around during the approach.

“The crew landed the aircraft normally after a second approach.

“Air France understands and regrets the discomfort felt by customers.

“The go-around is defined by the authorities, aircraft manufacturers and Air France as a normal procedure. The crews are trained and regularly instructed in these procedures, which are used by all airlines to guarantee the safety of flights and passengers, which is Air France’s absolute priority.”