Record of fires on 777 jets

13 April 2012

A British Airways pilot was hailed a hero last night after avoiding a major disaster by successfully crash-landing his stricken plane at Heathrow.

Flight BA 38, carrying 150 passengers and crew, suffered a catastrophic double engine failure on its final approach to the world's busiest airport.

Last night investigators were probing whether the catastrophe was caused by a bird striking the plane.

Just 20 seconds from landing, Captain Peter Burkill suddenly found he had no power.

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The dramatic scene at Heathrow yesterday after a BA Boeing 777 suffered engine failure and crash landed

Wounded beast: Emergency crews swarm around the crashed plane, the twisted metal of its broken wing clearly visible behind one of the emergency chutes

He fought desperately to keep the Boeing 777 on course and high enough to miss nearby houses and the busy road beside the airport.

As drivers watched in horror, the jet cleared the airport's perimeter fence by just a few feet and smashed onto grass hundreds of yards short of the runway.

The impact tore off part of its landing gear and the plane skidded across the grass on its belly, gouging deep tracks, as the rain-softened soil helped slow it down.

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Both wings and an engine were badly damaged before it finally slid to a halt on the very tip of the runway.

As fire engines raced to the scene, then smothered the shattered plane with foam, cabin crew deployed the emergency evacuation chutes and passengers slid to safety.

Incredibly, just 13 of those on board were hurt, only one seriously.

Last night, as the fuselage of BA 38 still lay across Heathrow's south runway, Capt Burkhill and his crew were praised for their calmness, expertise and bravery.

One passenger on the flight from Beijing said it was a miracle everyone had escaped with their lives.

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Freewheeling: Landing gear was torn off on impact

Moment of terror: Passengers slide down the escape chute fearing an explosion

Another told of the terror as screaming passengers ran through a smoke- filled cabin, fearing they would die before they reached the emergency exits.

He said: "People started screaming, kids were crying, we thought we were going to die. We thought the plane was going to blow up."

The drama caused major disruption at Heathrow with nearly 100 flights, most short haul, being cancelled and dozens diverted to other airports.

A plane carrying Prime Minister Gordon Brown on a five-day visit to China and India was also delayed.

It was on the tarmac, waiting to take off, when the BA flight came down a few hundred yards away.

Last night the investigation of the 12.40pm drama was considering the possibility that a flock of Canada geese had been sucked into the jet's engines.

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So close to disaster: The stricken plane rests on its belly, its broken wing tilting upwards and the remains of its torn-off landing gear in the foreground

So sudden and dramatic was the emergency that Captain Burkhill did not have time to put out a radio alert or even warn his 136 passengers to assume the 'brace' position.

One airport worker said the captain, who has been with the airline for nearly 20 years, told him he had lost all power.

"He told me the aircraft shut down," the worker said, "He glided it across and managed to get the nose up. It happened very close to coming into land. He managed to get it into the airport and it skidded on to the grass.

"Everything was normal and there was no warning or anything and then suddenly 'boom', the power's gone, everything shut down.

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Crash landing: Deep tracks gouged in the grass show where the Boeing 777 hit the ground and skidded before coming to a halt at the start of the runway

Emergency: Firemen douse the plane

"Its a miracle, this man deserves a medal as big as a frying pan. He's done a fantastic job, he really has."

One passenger said the pilot had "looked very pale" after leaving the plane.

Neil Jones, who has a pilot's licence, said he had seen the plane making a "very, very unusual approach" to Heathrow.

He said: "The engine noise sounded louder than normal and it was that that first attracted my attention.

"The aircraft was banking to the left and it was coming in very low over the surrounding houses. The plane was significantly lower than it would normally be.

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The front wheels of the airliner are seen strewn across the grass bordering the runway

"You could see the pilot was desperate, trying to get the plane down. The aircraft hit the grass and there was a lot of dirt. The pilot was struggling to keep the plane straight. I think he did a great job."

Taxi driver John Rowland said: "It looked as though it was just missing the roof of my cab...so low you would think you could lean out the window and touch it.

"It passed over the perimeter fence at 15 feet before it crashed. Debris was flying everywhere, there was an enormous bang and it skidded sideways.

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The plane's wing appears to be partially ripped from the body (click to enlarge)

"It hit the grass and the undercarriage went into the wings and the wings tilted up."

British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh praised the flight crew but refused to speculate on what happened.

He said: "I would like to pay tribute to the crew of the BA38 led by Captain Peter Burkill.

"The flight crew showed great courage and professionalism in landing the aircraft safely.

"All of the crew did a fantastic job evacuating the passengers. They are all heroes and everyone at British Airways is very proud of them."

The 13 injured, including four crew, were treated at Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge. One had a broken leg, but the others had only minor injuries, mostly whiplash.

Seven of the group are British and three Chinese. The nationalities of the other three were not known last night.

The investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch will question all those involved and check the plane's 'black box' flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

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Engine failure: Firefighters attend to the plane wreck beside a smashed engine

The Boeing 777 was launched in June 1995 and is considered an extremely reliable aircraft with an almost impeccable safety record.

It is powered by two Rolls Royce engines but should still fly if one fails.

Its landing gear is the largest of any commercial aircraft.

BA has 43 777s and there are 667 in operation around the world.

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