BA flight made emergency landing at Heathrow in December
Ferry Online Travel News 09/01/2012
It has been revealed that a British Airways flight made a safe emergency landing at Heathrow last month.
Reports said that both the captain and the first officer piloting the Airbus A320 felt light-headed and unwell before using oxygen masks to safely guide the aircraft back to Heathrow airport. The Glasgow-bound flight was at about 20,000 feet when the two men said they “nearly blacked out”.
Aviation officials have since launched and investigation into the incident, which took place on 20 December several minutes after the flight departed from the west London facility. Passengers onboard the flight have reported that the captain had made a “panicked” call over the intercom requesting cabin crewmembers come to provide assistance in the cockpit.
A statement released by British Airways confirmed the two pilots had put on oxygen masks “as a safety precaution” after experiencing symptoms associated with hypoxia, which occurs when the body is not receiving an ample supply of oxygen. A BA spokesman said to reporters that the passengers were able to continue on their journey following a “slight delay” and added that the company’s pilots were “highly trained” for such a situation.
The carrier notified the Civil Aviation Authority of the incident, which has since been referred to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch for a probe into the matter.
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