Plane Allegedly Flies Within 10 Feet Above Parked EasyJet Flight

Two aircrafts in France reportedly came within feet of one another on Sunday evening and an investigation has begun, according to officials. 

On Monday, Sept. 21, around 11:30 p.m. local time, easyJet flight U24706 was lining up for takeoff from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport on Runway 04R, according to flight data reviewed by FlightRadar24. The plane, an Airbus A320-214, was preparing to leave for Nantes Atlantique Airport in western France.

While the easyJet crew waited at the end of the runway for official clearance from air traffic control, Nouvelair flight BJ586 flew in for landing reportedly only feet above the parked aircraft. The flight, operating another Airbus-A320-214, was flying in from Tunis-Carthage International Airport in Tunisia. After the close call, the Nouvelair flight commenced a go-around and landed safely 16 minutes later, per FlightRadar24.

“We were lined up on the runway, ready to take off. Suddenly, we heard a huge noise in the cabin and felt strong vibrations,” Sacha, an easyJet passenger on the flight to Nantes who was identified without a last name, told local outlet Nice-Matin. “The Nouvelair plane passed over us, about three meters away according to the pilots.”

They added: “After this incident, we thought the plane was leaving for another maneuver, but in reality the captain returned to the parking lot, visibly very upset.”

An easyJet spokesperson told PEOPLE the pilots stood down from duty in line with company procedures and canceled the flight.

According to the local outlet, radio recordings allegedly indicate that the Nouvelair plane landed on the wrong runway: as arriving traffic was directed to runway 04L. Data collected by FlightRadar24 confirms arriving traffic was using runway 04L exclusively that evening. However, FlightRadar24 noted that it could not confirm the correct runway assignment for the Nouvelair plane.

In a translated post on X from Sept. 22, France’s Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) for Civil Aviation Safety called the event a “serious incident” and confirmed a team of four investigators were sent to the scene. In a follow-up post on Sept. 23, the agency confirmed they collected initial testimonies, meteorological data and four flight recorders from the two aircraft. 

“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority,” a spokesperson for the airline shared in a statement with PEOPLE. “In line with procedures, we are fully cooperating with the safety investigation that has been launched in order to understand what has happened.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

On X, Nouvelair pointed to poor weather conditions on Sunday evening.

“During the landing of flight BJ586 Tunis-Nice at Nice Airport, an incident occurred under particularly challenging weather conditions, marked by very heavy rain and extremely reduced visibility,” the Tunis-based airline wrote in a translated post on Sept. 22. 

“With over 36 years of experience in air transport, Nouvelair reaffirms that the safety and security of its passengers and crew remain its top priority. All company operations are conducted in strict compliance with international standards,” the posted added. “Nouvelair is fully cooperating with the authorities in the ongoing investigation and will provide all necessary support to ensure its smooth progress.”