Passengers aboard British Airways London-Chicago flight had a narrow escape when the flight plunged 28,000 feet approximately while flying over Ireland on Monday. The BA295 flight landed back at the Heathrow airport after being in air for 4 hours and 47 minutes.
The jet was cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet when it faced some glitch and dropped nearly 28,000 feet to an altitude of 9,000 feet within minutes. The exact cause of the plunge is yet not known as a statement from the British Airways on the incident is still awaited.
How massive was the drop?
The jet dropped nearly 28,000 ft, which is 10 times the world's tallest building Burj Khalifa in Dubai that is 2,722 feet high. If compared to the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, which is 1,024 feet tall, the jet dropped 27 times its height.
Deep Dive
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According to flight-tracking data, the aircraft turned back towards the UK instead of continuing its journey to Chicago after making the steep descent to around 9,000 feet over Ireland. It subsequently flew south of Wales and over southwestern England before making several turns over the English Channel, as it headed back towards London.
The flight has reportedly landed in London.
What we know about the incident
According to aviation news network AIRLIVE, British Airways Flight BA295, operated by a 30-year-old Boeing 777-200ER registered as G-VIIA, departed from London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 at 11:50 AM local time for its scheduled 8-hour and 40-minute journey to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD).
Approximately one hour into the flight, after reaching a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet, the aircraft encountered an unexpected operational issue over Irish airspace. Flight tracking data reveals that the long-haul twin-jet initiated a rapid descent, dropping 28,000 feet down to an altitude of 9,000 feet within minutes.
Shortly after beginning the steep descent, the flight crew issued a squawk 7700 code, the international aviation signal designating a general emergency. AIRLIVE reported that after making a U-turn over Ireland, the aircraft stabilised at 9,000 feet.
It is yet not clear what caused the emergency on the flight, and a statement from the airline is awaited.
With inputs from ANI