A British Airways flight from London to Chicago declared an emergency after a sudden and steep descent of 28,000 feet over Ireland and was forced to turn back to Britain.
Flight BA295 was bound for Chicago's O'Hare airport but after a "technical issue" during which oxygen masks were deployed from the ceiling, the plane landed safely back at London Heathrow.
Aircraft and incident details
The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, had departed Heathrow at 12.14pm on Monday for its scheduled transatlantic flight, and an hour into the journey had ascended to its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet.
According to passengers, the plane then encountered turbulence moments before the masks dropped, prompting "uncertainty" among those on board.
Emergency response and landing
Pilots descended to below 10,000 feet and issued a 7700 emergency squawk to air traffic control – the international general emergency code – and made a U-turn to head back towards England.
Flight-tracking services showed the aircraft flying in a looping holding pattern over the Bristol Channel between Pembrokeshire and North Devon as the plane burnt off fuel in order to lower its weight, allowing the pilots to make a normal landing just after 5pm.
Passenger and airline accounts
Passenger Tom Nicholls said there was a "sudden bit of turbulence" before the emergency was declared and that the quick descent to 9,000ft hadn't been too uncomfortable.
He said: "The plane adjusted but it didn't feel like it was descending rapidly. I'd say the pilots did a very good job."
"The oxygen masks popped out soon after and there was a bit of uncertainty onboard. The couple in front couldn't get to theirs but by the time they'd found a spare seat with a mask, the captain announced we were below 10,000ft so they were not needed."
A spokesperson for BA said: "The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue."
"Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible."
Cause and aftermath
Photographs taken by passengers and shared on social media showed oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling as the plane made the return journey.
A rapid descent to below 10,000 feet and a 7700 emergency squawk are routinely associated with aircraft experiencing cabin depressurisation but the official cause of the emergency has yet to be confirmed by BA.
The Boeing 777-200ER is one of BA's oldest planes in service, having been delivered to the carrier almost 30 years ago – in July 1997. Live streams showed the aircraft making its descent and safe landing back to Heathrow. Many passengers have been booked on to new flights departing on Tuesday.
