British Airways flight plunges 28,000 feet before emergency return to London

There are few things more unsettling on a flight than realising the aircraft is suddenly going down, and it is even worse when you are thousands of metres above the ground with no idea why. British Airways passengers experienced exactly that on Monday when their flight to Chicago lost more than 8,500 metres of altitude before turning around and heading back to London.

The Boeing 777 had been making its way across the Atlantic when the dramatic descent began, forcing the crew to declare an emergency and abandon the transatlantic journey. It comes just days after the extraordinary flydubai incident that saw another passenger flight plunged into an emergency over the Middle East.

British Airways plane drops 8,500 metres over Ireland

BA295 left London Heathrow at around 11:50am on Monday, October 5, bound for Chicago O’Hare on what should have been an eight-hour-and-40-minute journey. Around an hour after take-off, the Boeing 777 had reached a cruising altitude of approximately 37,000 feet when something went wrong over Ireland. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft rapidly descending to around 9,000 feet, a difference of roughly 28,000 feet, or more than 8,500 metres, in a matter of minutes.

The crew also transmitted the 7700 emergency code, alerting air traffic control that the aircraft was experiencing a general emergency. Instead of continuing west towards Chicago, the pilots turned the aircraft around and began heading back towards London.

BA flight circles before returning to Heathrow

The Boeing 777 did not immediately return to Heathrow. After turning around, the aircraft spent several hours flying over the UK and surrounding waters, with tracking data showing it circling over the Bristol Channel and travelling over parts of Devon and south-west Wales before making its way back towards Heathrow.

The reason for the lengthy flight back was the amount of fuel still on board. BA295 had been prepared for a transatlantic journey, meaning it had far more fuel than it would need for a short return to London. The aircraft therefore spent time in the air burning fuel before landing. The flight eventually touched down safely at Heathrow at around 5pm, almost five hours after leaving London. The passengers had expected to arrive in Chicago, but instead found themselves back at the airport they had left that morning.

British Airways confirms technical problem

British Airways has confirmed that the aircraft experienced a technical issue, although the airline has not said what the problem was. A spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority,” and confirmed that the aircraft landed safely after the pilots returned to Heathrow.

Passengers were able to leave the aircraft normally, with the airline saying its teams were working to get their travel plans back on track. Reports have also emerged of oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling inside the aircraft, with passengers reportedly using them during the incident. British Airways has not confirmed that a cabin pressurisation problem caused the descent, so the exact reason for the sudden loss of altitude remains unknown.

The 7700 code used by the crew does not reveal what went wrong. It is the standard transponder signal for a general emergency rather than a code identifying a particular technical failure. The airline has not yet provided further details about the fault that prompted the crew to abandon the journey to Chicago.

Passengers forced to abandon Chicago trip

For the passengers on flight BA295, the emergency brought their plans to Chicago to a sudden pause, with British Airways now working on how to get the passengers back on their original travel plans as quickly as possible.  With several other Heathrow-to-Chicago services still scheduled, the passengers could potentially continue their journey later than planned, although the airline has not said which flights they will be offered we just hope that the next one doesn’t decide to take the plunge and lands them safely at their destination.