Plane on test flight in distress over Portugal

lisbon - A plane from the Kazakh airline Air Astana was in great distress during a test flight over Portugal on Sunday and could barely land. After the pilots had first considered making an emergency landing in the sea, it was finally possible to reach the airport of Beja with great difficulty, 150 kilometers southeast of Lisbon, reported Portuguese media.

The pilot had to use the landing three times before he could safely land the aircraft, the Público newspaper reported. Two F-16 fighter jets accompanied the aircraft during the emergency landing procedure. The aircraft was conducting a test flight after a service and therefore, apart from six crew members, there were no passengers on board.