Monday, January 21, 2008

Systemen uitgevallen tijdens landing vliegtuig heatrow...

Heathrow Airport is still experiencing delays following the crash-landing of a British Airways Boeing 777. An airport spokesperson said there had been 56 cancelled flights on Monday and it was not known how long the disruption would continue.
All 136 passengers and 16 crew on the flight from Beijing survived.

On Sunday, the plane was moved 500m from near the southern runway to a hangar where the investigation into the crash-landing will continue.

But the effects of the incident are still being felt at the airport.




BA pilot 'feared all would die'

An airport spokesman said on Monday there had been 24 cancelled arrivals and 32 cancelled departures, mostly to short-haul flights.

Planes can take off - but cannot land - on the southern runway. The northern runway is functioning normally. The spokeswoman said: "We do not have a projected time when it will be fully operational - it will be as soon as it is safe to operate.

"It takes time for operations to get back to normal but Heathrow handles 1,300 flights a day so these cancellations are quite small."

Passengers are advised to check with airlines before they fly.

A British Airways aircraft recovery team took several hours to move the 200-tonne jet.

Lost power

The plane, positioned outside a hangar, will now remain there while investigators try to determine why the aircraft apparently lost power in mid-air as it approached Heathrow.

Senior first officer John Coward, under the command of Captain Peter Burkill, averted disaster by landing the craft within Heathrow's fence following the malfunction.

An initial report released by the Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) said all had gone normally on the flight until the aircraft was just two miles from touchdown and at a height of 600ft.

The early findings appeared to corroborate claims the plane had suddenly lost power.

The preliminary report from the AAIB into the incident is due out within 30 days.