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BA pilots prevented far worse crash, says report
8:12am Tuesday 20th May 2008
The captain and first officer of the plane that crash landed at Heathrow prevented a far worse accident, an internal British Airways investigation has found.
The report, that is not expected to be released publicly but has been seen by the BBC, says both officers tried to keep the Boeing 777 plane in the air after it lost engine power in January.
It also suggests an emergency evacuation alarm may have been too quiet for some of the cabin crew to hear.
Flight BA 38 from Beijing was extensively damaged when it crash landed on January 17 but all 136 passengers were safely evacuated.
According to the report, the captain, Peter Burkill reduced drag on the plane by changing the angle of its wing flaps and helped it maintain speed.
Senior First Officer John Coward dipped the plane's nose towards the ground to pick up further speed before leveling out just before the Boeing crashed on to the grass.
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The plane after the crash landing pic: PA
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