BA plane crash lands at Heathrow
17 January 2008Flights from Heathrow airport were delayed on January 17th after a British Airways (BA) plane crash-landed on the runway.
The international passenger plane hit the ground short of the landing strip, causing its wheels to collapse, according to eyewitnesses.
Passengers escaped via emergency chutes and three people who were onboard the flight, which came from Beijing, were treated at the scene from minor injuries.
Flight delays, an eventuality that is covered by travel insurance policies, were caused to a number of services, including a flight that was due to take prime minister Gordon Brown to China.
John Rowland, who witnessed the incident, told BBC News: "The plane's wheels collapsed, doors were flown open.
"On its approach it took the runway too low, just missing the roof of my cab. It crashed into the runway, debris was flying everywhere, there was an enormous bang and it skidded sideways."
Another eyewitness, Nick Gray, said that the plane came to a halt "reasonably quickly" and described the speed at which people were evacuated from the aircraft as "incredibly efficient".
Heathrow airport's south runway was closed off while investigators examined the scene.