British Airways Chicago Flight Declares Emergency After Steep Descent, Lands Safely at Heathrow
A British Airways Boeing 777 bound for Chicago fell more than 27,000 feet over Ireland, declared an emergency and returned to London, where it landed safely.
A British Airways flight heading from London to Chicago turned back to Heathrow on Monday after the crew declared an emergency and the aircraft dropped sharply from its cruising altitude. The airline says the plane landed safely and passengers got off normally.
What we know
The Boeing 777, identified by The Times of India as flight BA295, left Heathrow at 12:15 p.m. local time (7:15 a.m. ET). According to FlightAware, as cited by NBC News, the steep descent began about 30 minutes later while the aircraft was over Ireland.
NBC News reports the plane lost 28,000 feet in just seven minutes, though its own headline says 27,000 feet. The Times of India gives a fall from about 37,000 feet to roughly 9,000 feet. The exact figure therefore varies slightly between reports, but all point to a drop of around 27,000 to 28,000 feet.
After the descent, the aircraft turned around. NBC says it spent around four hours zig-zagging over the Bristol Channel, the waterway west of England, before landing at Heathrow at about 5 p.m. local time (noon ET).
What caused it?
That has not been confirmed. British Airways described the cause only as a "technical issue" in an emailed statement.
The Times of India says the flight landed after a "reported pressurisation problem". It did not attribute that to the airline, and NBC does not mention it, so treat it as unconfirmed for now.
The Times of India also says the aircraft may have been holding over the Bristol Channel to burn off fuel. That is a procedure sometimes used to reduce weight before a precautionary landing. The outlet presented this as a possibility, not a confirmed explanation.
What the airline says
"The aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue," British Airways said. It added that customers left the aircraft normally and that its teams are working to get travel plans back on track as quickly as possible.
NBC notes that, under UK Civil Aviation Authority rules, passengers are likely to be put up in hotels by the airline until another flight can be arranged.
Background
NBC also points to recent trouble in British skies. Last month, the UK's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) came under scrutiny after two technical problems within two weeks caused major delays at several UK airports and led to hundreds of cancelled flights. NATS blamed software issues. The sources do not link that episode to Monday's BA flight.
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What it means for you
If you were booked on this flight or a similar BA service from London, check your booking and contact the airline for rebooking details. Under the UK rules NBC describes, hotel accommodation is likely for stranded passengers while replacement flights are arranged.
Further details on the cause may come from British Airways or aviation authorities. Until then, the technical reason remains unconfirmed.
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