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| BA fire: Passengers describe terror on Las Vegas flight | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 9 Sep 2015, 11:20 PM (35 Views) | |
| skibboy | 9 Sep 2015, 11:20 PM Post #1 |
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BA fire: Passengers describe terror on Las Vegas flight 6 hours ago Passengers have been describing the terrifying moment a fire broke out on board their London-bound British Airways plane at Las Vegas airport. People started screaming and rushing to the front of the plane after its take-off on Tuesday was abruptly halted due to the fire, some eyewitnesses said. All 170 people were quickly led to safety, some with minor injuries. Aviation officials have started an investigation into why the left engine of the Boeing 777-200 caught fire. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says it has sent a team of investigators to the scene. General Electric said the plane was powered by two of its GE90 engines and it would also send two of its technical experts to join the investigation. The company said it was not aware of "any operational issues that would hazard the continued safe flight of aircraft powered by these engines," stressing that it had an "outstanding safety and reliability record since entering service in 1995". 'A lot of panic' Passengers said they heard a loud bang "like a tyre blowing out", causing the plane to come to a "screeching halt" at 16:13 local time (23:13 GMT) on Tuesday. "I saw smoke from the window," David Willey, who was on board, told the BBC. He said he was told "to prepare to vacate the plane by gathering by the middle exit but then we saw smoke coming through into the plane from that exit," he added. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses who were waiting at a nearby gate inside McCarran International Airport described the moment of horror when the plane became engulfed in smoke and flames. "Everyone ran to the windows and people were standing on their chairs, looking out, holding their breath with their hands over their mouths,'' Reggie Bugmuncher told the Associated Press. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ![]() Passengers flee from the plane 09 September 2015Image copyrightLynn Alexander At the scene - James Cook, BBC News, Las Vegas It has been an emotional night for the passengers of Flight 2276. British Airways has put them up in a huge hotel and casino complex in Las Vegas, illuminated by neon and patrolled by security guards. Some travellers say they were unable to sleep as they contemplated what happened when their aeroplane tried to take off. From the adrenalin-pumping moments when the evacuation was ordered, emotions have been powerful, from jubilation at their escape from a burning jet to horror at what might have been if the blaze had taken hold a few seconds later when the plane was airborne. Many passengers have praised the actions of the British Airways pilot who was given a round of applause after he addressed them following the fire. They also thanked the crew of the Boeing 777 and the emergency services at McCarran International Airport for quick, calm actions that ensured this accident did not turn into a disaster. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Firefighters managed to evacuate everyone on board and extinguish the fire within minutes after the emergency call was first raised, the airport said in a statement. In an audio recording of the pilot's distress call with air traffic control, a male voice can be heard calmly saying: "Speedbird Mayday Mayday. Speedbird 2276 request fire services." "Speedbird 2276 heavy, we are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire, repeat, we are evacuating," he adds. The pilot later told passengers that the accident was the result of a "catastrophic failure of the engine", according to the Guardian's Jacob Steinberg. British Airline Pilots' Association chief Jim McAuslan has praised the pilots and crew for the "professional way the pilots and crew dealt with this emergency situation". The captain has been named as Chris Henkey, who was reportedly due to retire next week after more than 40 years of flying experience with British Airways. ![]() Some of the passengers were later criticised for violating safety rules after they were seen collecting their luggage before exiting the plane. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stipulates on its website that in case of an emergency evacuation, passengers should leave carry-on items on the plane as retrieving them could "impede the safe evacuation of passengers". A number of people who were treated for minor injuries caused whilst sliding down the inflatable chutes have already been released from hospital, British Airways says. ![]() Flight 2276 was bound for London's Gatwick airport. There were 157 passengers and 13 crew members on board. The incident shut one of the four runways at McCarran International for several hours. McCarran is a major airport in the US, handling more than 40 million passengers last year. Source:
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| skibboy | 10 Sep 2015, 11:22 PM Post #2 |
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British Airways blaze pilot: 'I'm finished flying' 4 hours ago ![]() Chris Henkey, who has been named in reports as the flight's captain, with partner Lenka Nevolna The pilot of a British Airways plane which caught fire at a Las Vegas airport, forcing the evacuation of 170 people on board on emergency slides, has told NBC he is "finished flying". Chris Henkey, from Reading, said he was "unlikely" to make a trip to Barbados, after which he was due to retire. His fiancee said she was "very shocked", but praised him as a "hero". Officials in the United States said the left engine of the Boeing 777-200 caught fire before take-off. At least 14 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the incident on a runway at McCarran International Airport. Describing the incident, Mr Henkey told NBC: "There was a loud bang and the aircraft sort of veered to the left. Because we had a third pilot he actually opened the door and went down into the cabin, saw how serious it was." He told the network he had been due to fly to Barbados on Saturday and return the following Tuesday "and that would be it." But he reportedly added: "It's safe to say I'm finished flying." ![]() Mr Henkey, left, was praised as a hero His fiancee, 40-year-old Lenka Nevolna, confirmed he was due to retire. "He's a hero," she said. "He's a great man with a warm heart, and generosity, and I'm very proud of him." 'Very experienced' In a recording, which appeared to be a conversation between Mr Henkey and air traffic control, he was heard saying calmly: "Mayday, mayday, Speedbird 2276 request fire services." A woman in the control tower immediately replied: "Speedbird 2276 Heavy; fire services on the way." Forty seconds later the captain added: "We are evacuating on the runway. We have a fire. I repeat, we are evacuating." ![]() BA have not confirmed the identity of the captain According to reports, Mr Henkey was applauded by passengers in the terminal building. "I know the papers are saying now 'he's a hero'," the pilot told NBC. "[But] we have to remember there are two other pilots and cabin crew who all behaved very, very well." BA would not confirm the identity of the captain but said he was "very experienced and has flown with British Airways for 42 years". In a statement, the airline said the aircraft "experienced a technical issue as it was preparing for take-off". Flight 2276 was bound for London's Gatwick airport. There were 157 passengers and 13 crew members on board. Source:
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| skibboy | 10 Sep 2015, 11:52 PM Post #3 |
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BA fire report suggests engine casing breach 2 hours ago ![]() An initial report on a British Airways plane which caught fire at a Las Vegas airport suggests engine parts flew out and landed on the runway. The US's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the casing around a key component of the engine had been found to have "multiple" breaches. The casing should contain any damage but spool parts, about 7-8 inches in length, were found on the runway. The fire forced the evacuation of 170 people on board on emergency slides. Meanwhile, the plane's pilot Chris Henkey, from Reading, has said he is "unlikely" to fly a scheduled trip to Barbados, after which he was due to retire. The plane's flight data and cockpit voice recorders are now being examined by the NTSB, and the left engine is due to be shipped to experts to uncover what caused the fire. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Analysis By Richard Westcott, BBC transport correspondent The most worrying aspect of this short, initial report is that it looks like the engine failure was uncontained. If an engine breaks, the casing is designed to stop any bits of metal flying out and damaging the rest of the aircraft, including the fuel tanks and critical wiring. Uncontained problems can be very serious. As for the part that appears to have broken, the high-pressure compressor spool, Dr Colin Brown from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers told me that it's "most likely" to be from a "fatigue crack". Dr Brown used to work at Rolls Royce and is an expert in fatigue crack growth. Inspectors will now be looking at how new the part was and when it was last checked. If it's relatively new, Dr Brown suggests they could ultimately ground aircraft with similar engines to check for similar problems. It's still early days in the investigation - a final report could be months away. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Flight 2276 was bound for London's Gatwick airport with 157 passengers and 13 crew members on board. The left engine of the Boeing 777-200 caught fire before take-off, and at least 14 people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the incident on a runway at McCarran International Airport. The NTSB report said: "Initial examination of the left engine revealed multiple breaches of the engine case in the area around the high pressure compressor. "Examination of the material recovered from runway found several pieces of the high pressure compressor spool (approximately 7-8 inches in length)." Mr Henkey told NBC he had been due to fly to Barbados on Saturday and return the following Tuesday, "and that would be it", as he was due to retire. But he reportedly added: "It's safe to say I'm finished flying." Source:
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