Thread: Plane Crash at Heathrow - Thousands Not Dead

A British Airways pilot was hailed a hero today after crash- landing a packed airliner at Heathrow in a terrifying drama.

The pilot had issued a mayday on the final approach to the airport after his aircraft suddenly lost power.

He battled to control the plane as it flew over west London's densely populated suburbs. Airline sources said it was "extraordinary" he had avoided a crash that would have caused huge loss of life.

One said: "When you lose power in an aircraft it is very difficult to keep the wing-tips level. It is a miracle he managed to bring it in safely."

One passenger described how the Boeing 777, arriving from Beijing, "dropped like a stone", hitting the grass short of the main runway yards from a busy perimeter road. As it skidded across the ground, wheels snapped off, the undercarriage buckled and it shed engine parts.



















British Airways has issued a number for people concerned about relatives who are not dead - 0800 389 4193

I blame the Chinese, seeing as it came in from Beijing.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

I blame the Chinese, seeing as it came in from Beijing.

Very much out of character Marmite. It was a Boeing Triple 7. You missed a fantastic opportunity to blame America.

Too late, no retractions.

I reckon it was Islamic extremists.

Originally Posted by Texpat

You missed a fantastic opportunity to blame America.

Why would I do that? I love American culture - I even ate a Big Mac once!

There's a video on this page. I don't know how to get it onto here.

Jet crash lands at Heathrow | The Sun |HomePage|News

Can't find the thread about the Qantas flight landing in BKK last week...

Another "total power failure"?!?!?!?!? ["Total" is used in the BBC website article]

My suspicions are getting stronger...looks like some defensive counter-measures system has a few bugs remaining.

^ I echo that!

These keep cropping up all of a sudden. This was reported on the beeb yesterday - another sudden power loss - albeit from 2005. Equally worrying was what happened later! Check it out:

BBC NEWS | England | London | Aircraft hit by 'electrics fault'

Originally Posted by Deus Ex from the Press

It is a miracle he managed to bring it in safely."

This angers me. NO it isn't a miracle, it's called competence. A properly trained pilot remained cool under pressure and saved lives. He deserves naming and considerable praise.

I don't want to hear how God intervened. If God had anything to do with it there wouldn't have been any need for a "miracle" in the first place.

Precisely...miracle implies divine intervention, rather than the pilot having done what he is trained to do which is fly the plane from A to B and possibly against adverse conditions.

If the same happened in Thailand first question by the religious nutters would be if he was wearing a Jatukarm, which would be great for sales in a slow period.

The pilot did his job well, and let's hope he is given a huge tip for being placed in the position of having to deal with critical service/maintenance incompetence, or death.

Lets just leave it to the experts, when they have the FACTS, they will let us know what happened. The facts we have are:-
There is a very sick 777 at the end of Runway 28L at Heathrow.
There were no fatalities.
End of Exercise!!!

Originally Posted by keda

The pilot did his job well, and let's hope he is given a huge tip for being placed in the position of having to deal with critical service/maintenance incompetence, or death.

Wow, an aircraft mishap investigation wrapped up in about three sentences. Nicely done keda!

You're assuming the pilot didn't do something that put the plane into a dangerous position in the first place. There's a good reason most airlines are reluctant to comment on accidents until the investigation is complete. Because they just don't know. This case is no different.

Glad nobody was killed.

Originally Posted by zipcode

Can't find the thread about the Qantas flight landing in BKK last week...

Another "total power failure"?!?!?!?!? ["Total" is used in the BBC website article]

My suspicions are getting stronger...looks like some defensive counter-measures system has a few bugs remaining.

That defensive counter-measures are in place on (some) commercial airplanes is a given; El Al has stated as much.

While El Al believes in a strong deterrent (and publicizes a stronger retribution), IMO other airlines, especially US/Eurozone, will be unlikely to publicize/confirm the installation of countermeasures; certainly not in mainstream media.


Publicity means the "masses" worry about flying:

"Gosh, why would the airline need DCM unless they were expecting attacks"

"Gee, what if the system should fail"

"Golly, won't the bad guys now actively try to thwart these new systems, making flying more dangerous"

It is axiomatic that security/defense measures are never revealed. Especially when plausible explanations are readily accepted by the media and masses.

Dear BBC journalist, please ask BA spokesman a direct question: "Was this power failure in any way related to defensive counter-measures on this aircraft?" . Let the answer (or non-answer) guide further questions. Print the original question and all ensuing discussion. At the very least, this will publicize the issue, which should put pressure on the engineers to solve the exisiting problems.


But only if the right to know outweighs the responsibility to protect.

How DCM would have an effect on the entire electrical system ?

Why don't commercial airliners just use chaff and flares? Dump and pop during every takeoff and landing. It'll be like fireworks 24/7. Airports can tack on a surcharge to airline tickets for the show.

Originally Posted by Butterfly

How DCM would have an effect on the entire electrical system ?

Just some plausible speculation:

1. DCM system is a retrofit, not part of the original design. Thus, possible that one/some function does not have redundancy.

2. The most commercially-viable DCM design uses highpower laser pulses to "confuse" an incoming missile. Plausible that electrical system feeds the DCM (as opposed to DCM having it's own generator), and one device acts as the gate for the airplane-generated electricity to feed the DCM.

3. It is likely that a highpower laserpulse system would be in an inactive state on takeoff and landing; both as a safety measure so close to habitation, and to protect the DCM since it is undercarraige mounted. Possibly, putting it into inactive/landing mode triggered the failure.


I am the first to admit that is speculation at worst, extrapolation at best. But I do occasionally have flashes on insight; "accidental access to the Akashic Record" as the Buddhists would say.

^^^^^ sorry, cross posts...

Sure we have only limited info to go on, and much of that may later turn out to be inaccurate, but if we comment only on known and proven facts the news board would be bare.

Whatever happened the pilot did what he was paid to do, and even if he was the cause of the emergency, which I hope we can agree would've been unintentional, part of his training would've been to extricate the plane from his own or someone else's fine mess. Using an on-the-hoof analogy, the good golfer can play a great shot even from a bunker.

A plane is most vulnerable during takeoffs and landings. The military even mounts DIRCM on some special purpose helos that rarely fly over 2,000 ft.

Read here for more on countermeasure systems.

Infrared Countermeasures Systems

Enough jargon and bullshit - are there any passenger accounts?

come on scampy, they have been through enough without you trying to get their bank details

The only witness account I have read indicates unusual sounds coming from an engine. As Keda says, pilots are human and sometimes they make mistakes. When I learned to play trombone one thing I was taught was to keep playing your best even after a mistake. Same for pilots and anyone else - don't let a mistake affect you. Whatever caused the accident, the pilot ensured nobody on the ground or in the air was seriously injured. His first instinct was to save lives, not the equipment.

Maybe 1-Two-Go could learn some lessons.

Originally Posted by Thormaturge

His first instinct was to save lives,

a side effect of sitting up in the pointy end I am sure

^^ I believe they have, and their farang pilots are now thoroughly vetted.

Are One Two Go still operating?

Originally Posted by The Gentleman Scamp

Are One Two Go still operating?

Yes, I'm flying them next week. Pray for me.