Heathrow plane crash.

[Leekbrookgull]

Does anyone know ? Was this plane still carrying fuel ? For both engines to fail at the same time is rare,very rare. When you look how far the plane slid and ripping the engines off,you would think there would have been a fire risk.

 

[Djmiles]

Well the pilot said it all happened very suddenly, and I would imagine if there was no fuel it would gradually lose power as opposed to a sudden loss of power.

I would imagine so, but you never know.

 

[Gully]

I spent this morning in a group of people that included two pilots, they were speculating what might have caused the plane to lose power...the most likely theories being either that it ran out of fuel (apparently this happens more often than we might like to imagine), that there was some kind of mechanical or electrical error (most likely) or that there had been a bird strike on both engines (even a small bird can make a real mess of an engine turbine, having just watched the news even my untrained eye reckons that is an unlikely theory as the engine shown didn't appear to have any turbine damage). All I can say is that the consensus was that the aircrew involved did an amazing job to get their aircraft down without any serious injury or loss of life, they also managed to avoid the houses and road just short of the airport, little short of miraculous.

 

[Stevie Boy]

i think they just ran out of fuel, for 2 engine failures is very very very rare

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Maybe they weren't working properly so they tried turning the engines off and turning them on again.

Whatever happened, the co-pilot did a bloody good job

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Part of BAs training is extensive research for potential solutions to malfunctioning equipment. They obviously stumbled across NSC and tried the old 'turn it off and on again'.


Edit: Beaten to it.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

No thrust' on stricken BA plane
Crashed plane
The engines failed to respond to a "demand for thrust"
Both engines on a plane that crash-landed at Heathrow failed to respond to demands for extra thrust, an initial report says.

Despite continued demands for power the Boeing 777 "descended rapidly", landing short of the runway, the Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) said.

As the plane struck the ground on Thursday the right landing gear broke off from the wing, the report said.

The jet encountered problems just two miles from the airport, it said.

All 136 passengers and 16 crew on the British Airways flight survived.


A significant amount of fuel leaked from the aircraft but there was no fire
AAIB crash report

It was flying at a height of about 600ft (180m) when the engines failed to respond to a demand for increased thrust from the jet's autothrottle .

After continued demands for increased thrust, and the "flight crew moving the throttle levers, the engines similarly failed to respond", the report indicated.

"The aircraft speed reduced and the aircraft descended onto the grass short of the paved runway surface," it said.

Graphic showing how incident unfolded on approach into Heathrow

How landing at Heathrow works

The plane was using an instrument landing system (ILS) approach, which allows pilots to follow a set path and be guided in, as it was coming into runway 27L at Heathrow.

'Outstanding team'

The report noted that: "A significant amount of fuel leaked from the aircraft but there was no fire."

Earlier Captain Peter Burkill revealed the jet was brought in to land by the co-pilot.

At a press conference before the report was released, Mr Burkill said Senior First Officer John Coward had done a "most remarkable job" in landing the aircraft.

He also praised all the crew for showing "the highest standards of skill and professionalism".

"Flying is about teamwork and we had an outstanding team on board," he said.

Senior First Officer John Coward, Captain Peter Burkill and Cabin Services Director Sharron Eaton-Mercer
Captain Burkill praised his crew at a press conference

During the emergency evacuation via the slides all occupants left the aircraft, one person suffered a broken leg and others received minor injuries.

The AAIB said it had been notified of the accident within a few minutes and a team of inspectors had gone to the airport.

US aviation authorities and representatives of Boeing were also involved, the AAIB said.

The BA flight crew were interviewed later on Thursday and the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the plane are being studied.

An examination of the plane's systems and engines was ongoing, the AAIB said.

In conclusion the AAIB said: "The investigation is now focused on more detailed analysis of the flight recorder information, collecting further recorded information from various system modules, and examining the range of aircraft systems that could influence engine operation."

The AAIB hopes to publish a preliminary report within 30 days of the incident.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

There was that Air Transit flight a few years back that run out of fuel over the Atlantic,and managed to land at the Azores. Glided for around 20 mins was on that Air Crash Investigation series.

 

[SNOOBS]

Pretty lucky it didn't happen above a big city or something, the plane could have come down on some buildings or something, imagine the consequences of that!

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

Pretty lucky it didn't happen above a big city or something, the plane could have come down on some buildings or something, imagine the consequences of that!

Pretty lucky it landed where it did. Just before where it crashed is the motorway!!

 

[Beach Hut]

All of the crew were total heroes, an amazing escape and lack of fatalities

 

[The Auditor]

Maybe they weren't working properly so they tried turning the engines off and turning them on again.

:

Must have been a serious problem if that didnt work !
..the crew did an amazing job...my work colleague son had flown that plane ...said it was ok when he left it !!

 

[brighton rock]

Does anyone know ? Was this plane still carrying fuel ? For both engines to fail at the same time is rare,very rare. When you look how far the plane slid and ripping the engines off,you would think there would have been a fire risk.

report said

A significant amount of fuel leaked from the aircraft but there was no fire

 

[bhaexpress]

I don't think it was a lack of fuel, I would say it was either some computer malfunction or a bird strike although with an aircraft the size of a 777 that's not very likely. The 777 is a very good aircraft and despite the large number of them in operation this is the first accident one has been involved in.

 

[Everest]

Pretty lucky it landed where it did. Just before where it crashed is the motorway!!

I think you'll find that the M25 is at the other end of the airfield.

 

[Questions]

Is it any wonder why I need 40gms of Valium and 6 pints of Guinness before I will even set foot on a plane.

 

[ben andrews' girlfriend]

I think you'll find that the M25 is at the other end of the airfield.

Really? The reporter on the Beeb said it was a close'un?

 

[beorhthelm]

M25 is definatley other end, the road it missed was the A30 and the airport perimeter road. poke "hatton cross" into google maps, end of the runway is just west of the tube station.

 

[bailey]

It's really unusual for both engines to fail at once and at the same time, which would suggest that it's the control system. Although you'd hope that they'd have independent control systems for this exact reason.

I'm off to Toronto in 3 weeks with BA and I've just looked under "Manage my booking" on ba.com and our plane is supposed to be a 777. That'll be a flight full of nervous passengers then!

 

[ROSM]

I'm off to Toronto in 3 weeks with BA and I've just looked under "Manage my booking" on ba.com and our plane is supposed to be a 777. That'll be a flight full of nervous passengers then!

doing the same journey in 4 weeks with BA - you're my test pilot