Ice was behind British Airways crash at Heathrow

An investigation has concluded that the presence of ice in an aircraft’s fuel system was the most likely cause of the British Airways crash that occurred this past January at London’s Heathrow Airport. One passenger suffered serious injuries during the crash, which took place when the plane landed well before the start of the runway at Britain’s busiest airport. At first, there had been some concern that the crash may have been the result of a botched landing on the part of the cabin crew, but the current report seems to put these worries to rest and it has now become clear that the pilot was almost certainly not responsible in any way for what transpired.

The jet in question was a Boeing 777, a popular wide-bodied plane frequently used by British Airways on its long-haul routes. The infamous January flight was arriving in London from Beijing when it crashed just after landing. Some experts had originally suggested that fuel quality may have been a factor in the crash, but this has now been ruled out, as investigators are all but certain that ice was the culprit. Following the release of this report, Boeing issued an advisory in which it is suggesting that the 11 carriers that currently fly B-777 aircraft remain on the look-out for ice in the fuel system. The American aircraft manufacturer’s main suggestion is that pilots increase the engine’s thrust during cold winter months, or if fuel temperature appears to be low, in an effort to remove any ice that may be lodged in the system.

Thank you to Reuters for the initial report

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