A discussion about the airline industry, airline employees, and all things related

Initial reports are saying that the engines of British Airways flight 038 from Beijing to London, did not respond to a demand for an increase in thrust.  The six year old Boeing 777 landed just short of the runway.  All 136 passengers and 16 crew survived the incident without major injuries. 

Captain Peter Burkill, Senior First Officer John Coward and Cabin Services Director Sharron Eaton-Mercer were all greeted with applause and praise today when they met with the news media.  Capt. Burkill said that his crew displayed “the highest standards of skill and professionalism.”

The crew also praised the passengers for “their calmness and good sense during extremely unfamiliar circumstances.”

The Boeing 777 is one of the safest planes in service today.  Since introduction in 1996, the 777 has had no major accident.  The design of the aircraft also played a part in the fact that the only major injury was a broken bone.  All emergency exit chutes operated properly.  Whether it be by the way the aircraft was designed or by coincidence, the landing gear absorbed most of the impact and then tore away from the aircraft, resulting in no fire, which gave passengers more time to exit from the plane. 

The investigation continues today and will reveal the cause of the accident in the coming months. 

MSNBC.com

ABC News

BBC