A Ryanair flight carrying 172 passengers came within seconds of colliding with a helicopter after its captain took control without realising the autopilot was off, an investigation has found. The Boeing 737 plummeted approximately 550ft during the incident near Stansted Airport in March last year.

The Ryanair flight from Szczecin, Poland, came within just 300ft of the helicopter before the captain took back control

A Ryanair plane packed with passengers was seconds away from crashing into a helicopter in the skies over London - after a cockpit blunder from the aircraft's co-pilot. There were 172 passengers and six crew members onboard the commercial jet, which had left Szczecin, Poland, bound for Stansted Airport when tragedy nearly struck.

A miscommunication between the pilot and copilot meant the plane dropped 600 feet by mistake, bringing it close to the helicopter

The co-pilot forgot to tell the captain he had turned off autopilot and they lost control of the aircraft as it dropped 550ft on a flight path above a helicopter, according to investigators