A passenger aboard a British Airways flight from London to Chicago has described the terrifying moment the aircraft dropped 27,000ft in minutes after a technical issue.
Flight BA295 had reached a cruising altitude of 37,000ft before the mid-air emergency on Monday (October 5). According to flight tracking data, the aircraft descended sharply to 9,000ft before turning back to London and declaring an emergency.
Passenger describes 'silence' and 'noticeable' descent
Scott Tanner, 39, a passenger on the plane, said he and fellow passengers were told to put on oxygen masks when the plane began descending 'noticeably'. He said there was 'silence' for ten minutes until they were told they could remove their masks.
Tanner, from Torbay, Devon, told Talk to the Press: "About an hour into the flight I was listening to an audiobook when, completely without warning, the oxygen masks suddenly dropped throughout the cabin. An automated announcement instructed everyone to put on their masks immediately. For around 10 minutes afterwards there was no further information from the flight deck.
"There was simply silence apart from the automated announcement repeating on a loop, which was probably the most disconcerting part. Despite this, everyone remained remarkably calm.
"I did not hear a single scream. We could feel the aircraft descending quite noticeably, although it felt controlled rather than like a plunge."
Return to Heathrow and landing
The captain later told passengers they were below 10,000 feet and could remove their masks. He explained the aircraft would return to Heathrow, but because it was carrying fuel for the transatlantic journey, they would need to circle for several hours to burn it off.
"We eventually landed safely after about five hours in the air," Tanner said.
Passenger frustration over rebooking and compensation
Tanner revealed that despite British Airways providing hotel accommodation, further arrangements were 'frustrating'. He said he was initially rebooked via Charlotte despite direct flights being available, and had to negotiate to have this changed.
He added: "When I asked whether BA might offer some gesture in recognition of what had happened, I was repeatedly sent between different desks and eventually told that any compensation would have to be dealt with online."
A spokesperson for British Airways 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."
