A British Airways flight dropped 28,000ft, triggering a mid-air emergency. Flight BA295, a Boeing 777-200ER, had to turn back to the UK an hour after taking off for Chicago.
The flight declared an emergency while airborne due to a sudden and sharp drop in altitude over Ireland. The plane had departed from London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 at 11:50 AM, with a scheduled journey of eight hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), reports MirrorOnline.
Rapid descent and safe landing
About one hour into the flight, as it reached its cruising height of 37,000 feet, the aircraft signalled an emergency and began a rapid descent, falling to approximately 9,000 feet. The plane circled over the Bristol Channel to burn off fuel before safely landing back at Heathrow around 5pm.
Images purportedly taken inside the aircraft appear to show oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling being worn by passengers.
Possible cabin depressurization
Aviation website Airlive.net previously reported that a controlled rapid descent, like the one made by the Boeing 777 before it signalled a mid-air emergency, is often a sign of a cabin depressurization event.
The Mirror has approached British Airways and Heathrow for further details.
