Gatwick Airport closed after BA jet caught fire when pilot mixed up left and right hands
Gatwick Airport closed after BA jet caught fire when pilot mixed up left and right hands
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has published a report into the incident on the Boeing 777 at Gatwick last year
A British Airways plane was engulfed in flames after a pilot mistakenly used his left hand instead of his right, according to an investigation. The fire, which broke out on the brakes of the Boeing 777 jet, was promptly extinguished by firefighters on the runway at Gatwick airport, West Sussex, as detailed in a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). The aircraft was carrying 334 passengers and 13 crew members at the time of the incident.
The mishap on June 28 last year led to a 50-minute closure of the UK's second-busiest airport. Investigators found that during take-off the co-pilot of the plane "unintentionally" pulled back his left hand on the thrust lever, reducing the power output, when he should have removed his hand. Simultaneously he should have been readying to pull back on the control column with his right hand, the report explained, reports the Express.
Realising his error the co-pilot aborted the take-off, bringing the plane to a halt "some distance before the end of the runway", stated the AAIB. Thankfully no injuries were reported.
The AAIB report stated that the co-pilot "expressed surprise in himself over the inadvertent thrust reduction" and "could not identify a reason for it". He also reported feeling well-rested and fine at the time.
In response to the incident a spokesman for British Airways said: "Safety is always our highest priority and our pilots brought the aircraft to a safe stop.
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"We apologised to our customers and our teams worked hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible."
British Airways had circulated a cautionary memo to its pilots just four days prior to the incident urging them to take a moment to "pause before execution and cognitively consider what the required action is", according to a report from the AAIB.
The airline has now incorporated "mis-selections" into the pre-flight briefing content it provides to flight crews, as noted in the report.
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