Heathrow Crash Jet Caused by Cold Weather
14th May 2008
Aviation experts have attributed the crash landing of a British Airways Boeing 777 jet at Heathrow to problems with fuel flow. All 136 passengers and 16 members of crew survived the crash, which occurred in January, although one passenger suffered a broken leg and eight others suffered minor injuries.
Experts from the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) believe that sub-zero conditions over Siberia caused pipes between the fuel tanks and the engines to freeze and become blocked. It is thought that this could have led power loss, which caused the packed Boeing 777 - on route from Beijing - to crash as it landed at Heathrow Airport. The AAIB published a report into the findings, which concluded: “The reduction in thrust on both engines was the result of a reduced fuel flow. Restrictions in the fuel system between the aircraft fuel tanks and each of the engine high pressure pumps, resulting in reduced fuel flows, is suspected.”
In order to prove this theory, experts are carrying out a number of tests at Rolls Royce in Derby, as well as at Boeing in Seattle. A spokesperson said that they are attempting to recreate Siberia’s low temperatures in order to test their theory. They said: “The primary challenge at Boeing is to create the environmental conditions experienced on the flight over Siberia at altitudes of up to 40,000ft. These tests are collectively aimed at understanding and, if possible, replicating the fuel system performance experienced on the day and the potential for formation of restrictions.”
One of the crash theories involved Prime Minister Gordon Brown after speculation that the high-powered transmitters used by his security team could have interfered with the stricken plane's electrical system. However, investigators ruled this out in the report. They said: “There is no evidence of any anomalous behaviour of any of the aircraft or engine systems that suggests electromagnetic interference.”
This latest report also seems to shift responsibility from the plane’s two pilots who were praised after the crash for managing to keep the plane in the air for a few vital seconds as the power to their engines was lost.
Source:
Daily Mail
Daily Telegraph