| Aviation experts have attributed the crash | | | | possibility of their theory. A spokesperson |
| landing of a British Airways Boeing 777 jet | | | | said: "The primary challenge at Boeing |
| at Heathrow Airport to a problem with fuel | | | | is to create the environmental conditions |
| flow. | | | | experienced on the flight over Siberia at |
| | | | altitudes of up to 40,000ft. These tests are |
| Luckily, all 136 passengers and 16 members of | | | | collectively aimed at understanding and, if |
| crew survived when the jet, which was on its | | | | possible, replicating the fuel system |
| way from Beijing, dramatically crashed in | | | | performance experienced on the day and the |
| January. However, one passenger received a | | | | potential for formation of |
| broken leg and eight other people were left | | | | restrictions." |
| with minor injuries. | | | | |
| | | | One of the high-profile crash theories that |
| A report into the accident by the Air | | | | the report managed to dismiss involved Gordon |
| Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) states | | | | Brown after fears that the high-powered |
| that the "region of particularly cold | | | | transmitters that are used by his security |
| air" that the plane hit between the | | | | team could have caused interference with the |
| Urals and Eastern Scandinavia could be | | | | plane's electrical system. However, the |
| responsible for the lack of fuel flow. The | | | | report clearly stated that there was no |
| report discovered that temperatures were -76C | | | | evidence of this. It said: "There is no |
| in this area, which is far lower than | | | | evidence of any anomalous behaviour of any of |
| expected. It is thought that this unusually | | | | the aircraft or engine systems that suggests |
| cold weather made the fuel tanks and the | | | | electromagnetic interference." |
| engines freeze, which caused them to become | | | | |
| blocked and eventually led to vital power | | | | This latest report also shifts responsibility |
| loss. | | | | from the jet’s two pilots who were |
| | | | hailed as national heroes after the crash for |
| In the report, the AAIB concluded: "The | | | | somehow enabling to keep the plane aloft for |
| reduction in thrust on both engines was the | | | | a vital few extra seconds. |
| result of a reduced fuel flow. Restrictions | | | | |
| in the fuel system between the aircraft fuel | | | | The Boeing 777 jet is generally regarded as |
| tanks and each of the engine high pressure | | | | one of the world’s safest planes with |
| pumps, resulting in reduced fuel flows, is | | | | 667 currently in service. A British Airways |
| suspected." | | | | spokesperson was keen to emphasise that the |
| | | | plane is a safe one, they said: "It has |
| In an attempt to prove their theory, the | | | | one of the best safety records of any |
| experts are carrying out tests at Rolls Royce | | | | commercial aircraft. At no stage since the |
| in Derby and the Boeing headquarters in | | | | accident has the AAIB, Boeing or Rolls Royce |
| Seattle. During these tests, experts will try | | | | advised against the continued operation of |
| and recreate the low temperature that the | | | | the Boeing 777. |
| plane experienced in order to test the | | | | |