A British Airways plane crash landed at the UK’s biggest airport
A Boeing 777 crashed short of Heathrow Airport’s south runway today (Thursday) as it attempted to land. The Department of Transport has launched an investigation following reports that the plane lost power, forcing the pilot to glide the jet in. But despite extensive damage to the plane, including the left wing almost coming off the vehicle, all 136 passengers and 16 crew members exited the plane on emergency chutes.
All are reported to be safe, though six people have been taken to hospital with minor injuries. Willie Walsh, BA chief executive, said he was ‘very proud’ of the crew and that the Boeing 777 was ‘an excellent aircraft’. All British Airways short haul flights out of Heathrow have been cancelled for the rest of the day.
Some long haul flights have been cancelled and many others are running up to two hours late. Some incoming flights have had to be diverted to other UK airports including Gatwick, Luton and Stanstead.
A BAA Heathrow spokesman said: “BAA is doing everything possible to minimise the disruption to our passengers. “Passengers flying from Heathrow today should contact their airline regarding the status of their flight.
“Air traffic control is diverting some arriving flights to other airports on a flight-by-flight basis.” The crash-landing occurred at 12.42pm as the British Airways 038 flight from Beijing came in. Eyewitnesses described sparks and flying debris as the underside of the passenger jet scraped the concrete.
The accident is the first major incident involving a Boeing 777. The incident happened as Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due to leave Heathrow for China and India. His flight was delayed because of the incident.
A helpline has been set-up for anyone who believes they may have had family or friends on board. Call 0800 3894193 or +44 191 2113690 from outside the UK
