Coffee spill blamed for plunge of Serbian president's plane

BELGRADE, Serbia, April 21 (UPI) -- Spilled coffee in the cockpit of a plane carrying the president of Serbia was the cause of a sudden descent of the aircraft last week, an inquiry determined Tuesday.

The report by the Serbian Civil Aviation Directorate said coffee was accidentally spilled onto the instrument panel of the plane, and the plane's autopilot was disengaged as the co-pilot, Bojan Zoric, "accidentally activated the emergency slot extension" as he attempted to clean the spill. The action shut down one of the plane's three engines, leading to a sudden drop in altitude; the plane fell about a mile before the captain regained control.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic was among 10 people aboard the plane, a Falcon 50 on its way from Belgrade to Rome on April 17, where Nikolic was to meet with Pope Francis. The plane returned to Belgrade, and the meeting was postponed.

"These 60 seconds felt like an eternity," Stanislava Pak, a presidential adviser who was also on the plane, told The New York Times. "We were falling like a rock. Our things were flying all over the cabin. I fell on my colleague, and then grabbed his hand. It was the most terrifying moment."

Authorities said Zoric was suspended from duty for "endangering flight safety." The 31-year-old plane, one of two in Serbia's diplomatic fleet, will no longer be used.

"During his next trip, the president will take a commercial flight, but after that it will be up to him to decide what he wants to do. But I hope he will not use this aircraft ever again," Pak said.