Share
Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight at London’s busy Heathrow Airport escaped a potential runway disaster after a diligent airport worker spotted a fire on their Boeing 777 jet liner, according to an Air Accidents Investigation Board report.
A lucky escape for a different 777 in February of 2007. Image: Todd MacDonald/Flickr.
According to the AAIB report, the pilots and flight crew were oblivious to the electrical fire as they prepared the plane for departure on February 26 of 2007, and they were only notified of the mounting danger when an attentive tug driver noticed smoke pouring from the aircraft’s exterior vents.
With the captain and crew duly alerted to the problem, the plane’s right engine was swiftly shutoff, the hulking 777 was assigned a free stand, and all 185 passengers were evacuated into the safety of the airport.
And, had it not been for the keen-eyed tug driver, the United Airlines flight may have made it into the air before the crew had encountered the fire, reports Sky News.
Specifically, the AAIB outlines that the crew missed telltale signs, including an electrical smell that was present in the passenger cabin and reported to the pilots -- who merely said the plane had experience an electrical fault responsible for closing off a portion of the aircraft’s air conditioning and cooling ducts.
The report later concluded that while an electrical fault had indeed occurred, it had caused extremely hot molten droplets to drip onto insulation materials located behind electrical panelling, which then resulted in the aircraft suffering fire damage to its structure, cooling ducts and internal wiring.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report has not yet established the true reason behind the electrical fault, although it notes that it likely occurred after the plane’s engines had been started ahead of taxiing to the runway.
Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.
Join interactive discussion with The Tech Herald on Facebook.
The Tech Herald: American pilots dead in FedEx fireball (Video)
The Tech Herald: American Airlines flight crew want in-flight porn banned
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter
Advertising
Comment on this Story