James Barrett wrote:
> On Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:35:39 +1000, Ned
aioe.org> wrote:
> >> British Airways flight BA38 from Beijing made an emergency crash landing at
>> Heathrow yesterday.
>
> "emergency crash landing".......Most are.
No James, most are not at all.
Plenty of flights crash without declaring an emergency. Many, many more flights
declare emergencies but don't crash.
Some, such as this one did both. Called in a MAYDAY (or so I've read) then crashed.
I'm sceptical of your claim that the majority of aircraft crashes have declared
a prior emergency - unless of course you can provide a reputable cite.
>> The aircraft appears quite badly damaged.
>>
>> Crew and PAX OK - apart from a few minor injuries.
>
> Thank God, amongst other factors, for the skill of the pilots and the
> strength of the B777.
>
> "Aviation expert Kieran Daly, from Flight International magazine, said
> not a single Boeing 777 had been lost in a crash since the aircraft
> was launched in 1995."
>
>
>
> "London Heathrow shut" No it wasn't
>
Don't be so sure James. While the link I posted said it wasn't closed - there
was far more evidence in the immediate aftermath from many diverse sources that
it was closed. Hence my subject line and see below for some examples as to why.
Also BTW if LHR was *not* closed why do you reckon they'd delay the impending
departure of no less of a VIP than the UK PM? AFAIK he'd already boarded along
with the rest of the PAX and they were good to go.
Would you have permitted Brown's flight to depart with no fire coverage for the
northern runway?
Some quotes from sources at the time James -
"The Prime Ministers chartered British Airways 747 was left stranded by its
departure gate. It was taking him and 25 leading businessmen, including Sir
Richard Branson, on an official visit to Beijing. Passengers on that aircraft,
which was about 1km from the crash scene, were told that all take-offs and
landings were halted because there was no fire cover for the rest of the
airport. "
"The airport was closed to all flights immediately after the incident this
afternoon." Yorkshire Post
"..the airport - one of the world's busiest - was closed temporarily, according
to officials from the ambulance and aviation authorities." Int'l Herald Tribune
"The northern runway was closed for more than an hour after the aircraft made
it's emergency landing at 12.42pm.The south runway remains closed, while the
airport struggled to deal with the backlog of traffic." The Australian
"Heathrow was brought to a standstill this afternoon when a passenger plane
flying in from China reportedly landed short of the runway......The incident
happened as Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due to leave Heathrow for China and
India. His flight was delayed because of the incident, but his jet was not
involved directly. Witnesses said around six fire engines were at the scene of
the incident. Passengers on the aircraft were told that because of the runway
incident there was no fire cover for the rest of the airport, meaning all the
take-offs and landings were halted." Northampton Chronicle
"BA038 from Beijing has had some kind of problem and is currently
surrounded by all fire appliances at Heathrow." BBC Lunchtime news, paraphrased.
"The pilot of the plane carrying Brown and accompanying journalists to Beijing
said all departures and arrivals had been suspended for safety reasons because
all the airports' emergency crews were responding to the incident.He said
airport authorities were calling in nearby fire services so that flights could
resume." AOL UK
"The pilot of the plane carrying Brown and accompanying journalists to Beijing
said all departures and arrivals had been suspended for safety reasons because
all the airports' emergency crews were responding to the incident.
He said airport authorities were calling in nearby fire services so that flights
could resume. " KGO San Francicso Ca.
> "The runway was initially closed, but reopened later to take-offs
> only. The north runway remained open throughout the incident."
>
> A bit sloppy on the "reporting" hey Ned.
>
Sloppy? I dunno James - based on the extra info I've provided you whaddya reckon?
LHR never closed? Or maybe it did for an hour or two while fire services dealt
with an immediate hazardous situation? Your choice. Choose one and we'll see who
was right when the AAIB report emerges.
> Apart from the gentle jibes Ned, thanks for the info and the link.
>
You're very welcome.
Ned
