Plane Crash at Heathrow

[efq]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001...07796#22707796

British Airways plane has crash landed at Heathrow Airport, hitting the ground several hundred yards short of the runway and narrowly missing a busy road.More than 150 people were forced to dive off the Boeing 777 down inflatable chutes and onto the tarmac as emergency services rushed to the scene.
BA flight 38 had been landing in London after flying from Beijing.
Pictures of the crashed plane show the aircraft's mangled undercarriage - as if it had slid across the ground.
Serious damage is visible to the right engine and to both wings and the plane is surrounded by fire engines and a sea of firefighting foam.


Scotland Yard said: "There is nothing to suggest at this stage that the incident is in any way terror-related."
Sky correspondent David Bowden, who is at Heathrow, said: "It looks as though... if something did go very wrong with this plane, it must have happened at the very last minute.
"No emergency was declared. There simply wasn't enough time."
Bowden added: "Air traffic control didn't know this was happening until it was too late."
Incredibly, only six passengers on the crashed plane have needed hospital treatment for minor injuries, London Ambulance Service said.
After a temporary halt to flights, air traffic controllers now say planes are taking off and landing on the airport's northern runway.


There are, however, many delays, with some planes diverted to other London airports.
The Prime Minister's flight to China was among those stuck on the runway after the drama.
On board, is Sky's political editor Adam Boulton, who said Mr Brown remained calm and joked: "Well you have got your story already then."
Sky producer Jonathan Levy said security at Heathrow was already higher than normal, both because of Gordon Brown's flight and because the Qatari royal family were due to pass through the airport.
Mr Brown's flight has now taken off safely.


:: BA has set up a helpline for concerned relatives: 0800 389 4193

[StefanCampbell]

pretty amazing, looks like the pilot saved the day, and possible hundreds of lives, welldone to him..

[efq]

Im sure th Co-Pilot helped too o.O

But yeh, luckily he was ready and aware to land off the runway in the correct position...

[Jordy]

I love how ironic it is that Gordon Brown was just about to leave on a plane to China at Heathrow airport, and that the plane in the incident had just came back from China.

Terrorism is pretty much ruled out, but it's not impossible, perhaps the terrorists thought he was coming back from Beijing and not going?

Ahh well it delayed the PMs Flight anyway, I suppose that'll have to do, though a terrorism attack on him would of done nicely.

[Orangez.]

Yeh i saw this on BBC News this minute, right now hope people all lived and survived.

[StefanCampbell]

That's pretty harsh, and tbh I would totally rule out terrorism? Theres always more then 1 plane waiting to take off you know..

[xxMATTGxx]

Looks like the Pilot had no warning and lost power in both engines. I say well done to the pilot, if happened before many people will be dead due to the built up area around Heathrow.

[Yoshimitsui]

I tell you something, BBC are coming out with some right rubbish on the news channel!

[cocaine]

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1318129/L/

thats the plane

[Jamesy]

Yet, he still landed better than me on Flight simulator.

Well done to all the crew, and the emergency services