RAF pilot sent jet into 4,000ft plummet by playing with camera, court martial hears

An RAF pilot sent his military airliner into a dramatic dive after the DSLR camera he was fiddling with became wedged in the aircraft's controls, a court martial heard yesterday. Flight Lieutenant Andrew Townshend caused his Airbus Voyager – a militarised A330 airliner – to plummet 4,400 feet in 33 seconds during a flight to Afghanistan, Bulford Military Court Centre was told. At one point, the aircraft plunged at a rate of 15,000 feet per minute, according to an interim probe. (www.theregister.co.uk) More...