CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: British Airways jet drops 28,000 feet in nine minutes, avoids disaster
London. British Airways flight BA295, travelling from London to Chicago on Tuesday, narrowly avoided a serious technical emergency in mid-air. The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft was flying over Ireland at an altitude of about 37,000 feet when it suddenly began descending rapidly. In about nine and a half minutes, the aircraft dropped nearly 28,000 feet and came down to around 9,000 feet.
During the emergency, the aircraft issued a 7700 emergency signal. This signal is sent to air traffic control when there is a general serious emergency on board an aircraft. After bringing the aircraft to a safe altitude, the crew turned it back towards London. According to passengers, oxygen masks also dropped in the cabin.
Before returning to Heathrow, the aircraft circled over Britain for some time. According to reports, about 30 tonnes of fuel was dumped or burned to reduce the aircraft’s weight so that it could come within the prescribed weight limit for a safe landing. The aircraft then landed safely at Heathrow Airport.
British Airways said the safety of passengers and crew is its highest priority. According to the company, trained pilots handled the situation and landed the aircraft safely, and passengers were disembarked in the normal manner. The exact cause of the technical problem is being investigated.
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