A budget airliner almost fell into the ocean at nearly 300mph just moments after taking off an Italian holiday hotspot.
The Air Arabia flight began falling through the sky ten seconds after its wheels left the runway at Vincenzo Bellini Catania Airport in Sicily.
According to regional newspaper Corriere della Sera, the Airbus A320 sank to just 60 meters above the Ionian Sea before pulling up.
The Ground Proximity Warning System sounded the alarm after take-off over fears of a dangerous collision.
After regaining control, the plane continued on its way to Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan’s capital Amman.
It is unclear what caused the “serious incident” shortly before midnight local time (11pm BST) on Saturday, September 20.
The Italian National Agency for Flight Safety has now opened an investigation into the flight, which had no passengers on board, but two pilots and four flight attendants.
An ANSV spokesman said: “"After a preliminary review of the information received from the operator, ANSV opened a safety investigation, classifying the event as a serious incident.
“This occurred as the aircraft approached the sea surface, to within a short distance.” The agency added: "The flight continued without further incident.”
The flight safely landed in the Middle East at approximately 2:52am local time (12.52am GMT) on Sunday, September 21.
FlightRadar24 said the alerts "are vital safety systems in modern aircraft that are designed to prevent collisions with terrain or obstacles, and were designed to prevent Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) accidents”.
