A British Airways plane was 'seconds from disaster' after stalling above London following a pilot mistake, according to reports. The incident occurred on July 6 as flight BA919 from Dusseldorf approached Heathrow Airport.
Captain forced to intervene
The first officer's error required urgent physical intervention from the captain when the Airbus A320 experienced a stall at around 4,000ft above Canary Wharf. One of the aircraft's data systems failed, and the captain had to override the pilot's initial attempt to resolve the issue. Sources described it as 'the most serious near miss in the UK in years'.
A source told The Sun: 'To recover from this position is difficult, especially so low to the ground. It is unheard of for a captain to physically intervene in the cockpit.'
Investigation launched
The incident was reported as 'Loss of Control In-flight' and branded 'Pilot Induced'. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has launched a probe into the 'serious incident'. British Airways confirmed it is assisting the investigation.
Separate food poisoning incident
Earlier this month, a different BA flight from Hyderabad to London Heathrow faced disruption when all three pilots were struck down by food poisoning. One first officer became seriously ill at 30,000ft and required oxygen. The other two pilots managed to land the Boeing 777 safely, but all three sought medical help upon arrival. BA said flight safety was never compromised and an internal investigation is underway.
