| A Pilot's view. | | | | |
| | | | So do we need to worry about aircraft falling |
| The British Airways Boeing 777 that | | | | on the houses near Heathrow? Before this |
| crash-landed at London Heathrow on Thursday | | | | incident I would have said that it was near |
| provoked a wave of speculation. How could a | | | | impossible. This event, however, reminds us |
| modern hi-tech airliner lose thrust from both | | | | that, "near," is far from absolute. |
| engines at once? Theories ranged from crew | | | | |
| error to fuel starvation. | | | | A question that remains unanswered however, |
| | | | and it is this. How can these engines |
| BA is a top class airline and crews don't | | | | possibly fail to respond to throttle |
| easily make casual mistakes -or run out of | | | | commands, no doubt investigators are asking |
| fuel, either so these ideas did not ring | | | | this question too. Some pilots are |
| entirely true with me. Fuel starvation did | | | | questioning the "fly by wire," technology in |
| seem the only plausible explanation for both | | | | which all controls are operated by electrical |
| engines stopping at once. Yet the 777 engines | | | | signals rather than cables or mechanical |
| have completely independent fuel and engine | | | | linkage as in the past. This is now common |
| control systems and the odds of two random | | | | practice on modern jets ever since Airbus |
| failures at the same time seem too much to | | | | pioneered it with the A320. |
| believe. Well, now we know a little more: | | | | |
| | | | In spite of many BBC interviews I did in the |
| The Air Accident Investigation Branch has | | | | days following the accident, I was |
| released a preliminary report that explains | | | | frustratingly unable to express my ,major |
| the incident more clearly, albeit not | | | | concern. Namely that this Boeing type is |
| providing the answers. It seems that during a | | | | licensed to fly over remote areas like the |
| normal approach with autopilot and | | | | North Atlantic. It is only permissible for |
| auto-throttle engaged these systems called | | | | aircraft with 2 engines to operate on these |
| for more thrust from both engines but got no | | | | routes by qualifying for special permission |
| response. First Officer John Coward, who was | | | | known as ETOPS, or Extended Range Twin |
| the handling pilot, called for more power, | | | | engined Operations. To comply, aircraft and |
| which Captain Burkill attempted to provide by | | | | engine combinations - in this case Boeing / |
| moving the throttles manually. No response | | | | Rolls Royce - must have a proven reliability |
| came from the either engine, in spite of this | | | | record as well as specific equipment. They |
| being the correct procedure. | | | | may then be permitted to fly for up to 180 |
| | | | minutes from an available diversion airfield |
| At this point the aircraft was at 600 feet | | | | at single engine flying speed. That means 3 |
| and less than 2 miles from touchdown. The | | | | hours on one engine. |
| crew had little more than 30 seconds to react | | | | |
| before reaching ground level. The stall | | | | Early detractors - including myself - have so |
| protection system activated the, "stick | | | | far been proven wrong, as the system has been |
| shaker," a warning device that vibrates the | | | | in operation for many years without |
| pilot's control column to warn of impending | | | | accidents. Nevertheless, how does BA038 |
| loss of flying speed. FO John Coward was then | | | | affect the ruling for Boeing 777 aircraft on |
| faced with lowering the aircraft nose to | | | | long over water or remote routes? So far it |
| maintain a safe speed and losing height more | | | | seems no restriction has been placed on ETOPS |
| rapidly as a result. He clearly got the | | | | by these aircraft but I would be a little |
| balance just right, scraping over the fence | | | | concerned until some definitive answers are |
| and landing in the clear area just before | | | | provided. I am told that BA are carrying out |
| runway 27Left. | | | | their own engineering checks on 777s prior to |
| | | | flight. |
| The aircraft was in full landing | | | | |
| configuration, which would have inhibited | | | | Airline regulators always have to balance |
| some alert systems and I understand that | | | | between total safety and commercial |
| accident investigators are looking into this | | | | practicality and do not always get it right. |
| design feature in case it requires attention. | | | | To stop all 777s from operating on ETOPS |
| The undercarriage was already down and | | | | routes, or even ground them completely as |
| undoubtedly absorbed some of the impact | | | | some are calling for, would be a financial |
| forces, to the great benefit of those on | | | | catastrophe but then so would a major human |
| board. A happy ending then? | | | | tragedy. I have no doubt that the fundamental |
| | | | question, "how could this happen," is number |
| Yes indeed, an incredibly fortunate outcome | | | | one on the crash investigators list for this |
| to an incident that could have ended | | | | very reason. |
| horrifically had the problem occurred only 30 | | | | |
| seconds earlier. No amount of piloting skill | | | | What is clear is that both engines either |
| could have kept the aircraft in the air | | | | failed completely or failed to answer to the |
| beyond its best possible glide angle and it | | | | pilot's controls and that is a major safety |
| did miss roads and urban areas by a | | | | issue that requires action or answers now. |
| frighteningly small margin. | | | | |