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British Airways Flight BA38 was a British Airways flight between Beijing Capital International Airport and London Heathrow Airport. At 12:42 on 17 January, 2008 the Boeing 777 aircraft landed on the grass just short of runway 27L, and skidded across the grass, losing its undercarriage in the process and coming to a rest on the start of the runway. Six ambulances were sent to the scene and six people suffered minor injuries. All short haul flights from Terminal 4 have been cancelled.

Coincidentally, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was at Heathrow awaiting a flight to China at the time. His departure was delayed because of the accident. Also on the same flight as the Prime Minster were Richard Branson and Dame Kelly Holmes.

The Boeing 777 normally has a good safety record. Since its first flight in 1994 this is the first hull loss incident involving a Boeing 777.

It was reported that the aircraft lost all power and avionics on approach to Heathrow.

Disruption

Many outward flights were delayed, including that of Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was due to fly to Beijing on an official visit. The reason for the delays being lack of fire cover due to the number of appliances attending to the crashed aircraft. Incoming flights were diverted to Luton and Stansted. All UK domestic flights from Heathrow scheduled to depart after the accident occurred for the rest of the day were cancelled.

All short haul flights cancelled for the rest of the day. Some long haul departures cancelled, delays up to 1½ hours for other flights. Four flights from Manchester cancelled. 20 flights diverted to Gatwick, Luton or Stanstead.

Statements

BAA issued the following statement:-

Incident at Heathrow

We can confirm that flight BA038, a Boeing 777 arriving from Beijing, carried out an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport today at 12.42. Heathrow’s emergency services attended the scene and passengers were immediately evacuated and taken to a reception centre at the airport. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is attending the scene.

Heathrow Airport’s southern runway was closed immediately after the incident but has now re-opened for take-offs only. The northern runway is operating for arriving aircraft.

Passengers flying from Heathrow today should contact their airline regarding the status of their flight. Some arriving aircraft are being diverted to other airports, this is being done on a flight by flight basis.

References

1. "G-INFO Database". Civil Aviation Authority.
2. ^ "Crash Landing At Heathrow Airport". Sky News. British Sky Broadcasting. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. "Incident at London Heathrow". British Airways. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
4. ^ "BA flight lands short of runway". BBC News Online. BBC. 2008-01-17. Retrieved 2008-01-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. "Boeing 777" (HTML). Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
6. BBC News24 1535 17-1-08
7. Yahoo news
8. BBC News24 @1520 17-1-08
9. BAA Heathrow Homepage Liable to change

External Links

• BBC Photos
• Eyewitness reports

See also

• List of notable accidents and incidents on commercial aircraft

• Current events from January 2008
• 2008 in London
• Aviation accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom
• Aviation accidents and incidents in 2008
• British Airways