Passenger Plane in Terror Nosedive as Pilot Pushes Wrong Button (VIDEO)

A Japanese passenger jet took a nosedive that almost caused a catastrophic crash earlier this month when a co-pilot hit the wrong control buttons.

The plane was on its way from Naha in southern Japan to Tokyo when a co-pilot pressed the wrong control buttons; hitting the switch that controls the planes rudders, sending the plane down into a sharp decent.

Absurdly the co-pilot in fact was simply attempting to open the cockpit door so that the captain of the plane could return from a restroom break.

The plane veered off course as it flipped 140 degrees and dropped 6,000 feet in 30 seconds rolling belly up.

The Telegraph reported that because it was a night flight, it was the darkness outside that prevented passengers from knowing the position of the plane.

Although no one on the plane suffered any serious injuries, two flight attendants were slightly hurt and four passengers got airsick when the plane sharply descended.

Luckily, gravitational forces from the turn kept passengers safely in their seats.

The All Nippon Airways Boeing 737-700 aircraft had 117 people on board during the incident.

The plane almost rolled upside down but the crew managed to stabilize the plane and the flight landed safely in Tokyo.

The airline offered a belated apology following public outcry over the flight error. The incident happened on September 6th, but was only revealed on Wednesday.

Although no casualties or serious injuries occurred, Japan’s transport safety board has launched an investigation into the accident.