An investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau concluded that a pilot was distracted during landing because he was reading text messages on his mobile phone. The 220 seat flight to Singapore descended to just 1,000 feet (304 metres) before the co-pilot realised that the pilot had not lowered the landing gear in preparation for landing.
The report says the co-pilot tried to capture to pilot’s attention but was unable to do so, and the plane continued to just 500 feet (152 metres) despite two automated alarms warning of the danger. The landing was finally aborted just 400 feet from the ground, when the landing gear had still not been fully lowered. The plane landed safely on a second attempt.
In response, Jetstar have changed their procedures to require pilots to prepare for landing earlier, and switch off their mobile phones before flight.
Source: Digital Trends
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