A JETSTAR Airbus A320 slipped to within 51 metres of the ground during a botched, aborted landing at Melbourne airport, as pilots fumbled with wrong flap settings and a cacophony of cockpit alarms, Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators have found.

A sequence of mistakes on a July 28 evening flight from Newcastle to Melbourne left the pilot flying the plane - a cadet recruit with just 300 hours Airbus flying experience - overwhelmed. The captain sitting next to him was so busy trying to recover the situation that his capacity was also compromised.

The plane dropped to within 51 metres of the ground during the landing attempt.

On landing approach the plane was variously descending too fast, the flaps weren't extended properly and an altitude alert went unheard by both pilots.

The first officer may have experienced ''cognitive overload'', Jetstar told investigators.