Boeing 7777 total power failure

[Baradium]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=509163&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

There are some rather impressive pictures at the above link.  I recommend just going there, but the full text is below.

The real hero of the Heathrow crash landing was revealed yesterday as a man named Coward.


Straight after the drama Captain Peter Burkill was praised for safely bringing down his stricken Boeing 777 with 136 passengers on board.


But Captain Burkill admitted yesterday that Senior First Officer John Coward was at the controls when the plane suffered a catastrophic power failure in both engines 40 seconds from landing. The initial investigation report confirmed both engines had failed two miles from the airport.


"Flying is about teamwork - and we had an outstanding team on board yesterday," said the 43-year-old father of five.

I am proud to say that every member of the team played their part expertly, displaying the highest standards of skill and professionalism. No-one more so than my senior first officer John Coward - who was the handling pilot in the final stages of the flight - and did the most remarkable job.

"My first officer, Conor Magenis, also assisted continually."


Mr Coward, 41, has been a BA pilot since 1993.


Theories about the cause of the crash include mechanical or electronic failure, or water somehow contaminating the fuel. Aviation sources at Manchester Airport said a BA ground engineer told them: "We've been told to carry out checks to make sure that any water in our fleet's fuel tanks is removed. Water contamination is a constant and common problem in fuel."

Air accident investigators said yesterday that the plane had been on autopilot and autothrottle at 600ft, over West Hounslow, and in its landing approach after a normal and uneventful flight. At that point, the autothrottle had demanded an "increase in thrust", meaning more power, from the engines but they failed to respond.


With time running out, the flight crew then tried to move the throttle levers manually and the engines again failed to respond.


By then, the plane was seconds from the ground with Mr Coward at the controls and so sudden and dramatic was the failure that the crew did not have time to sound a warning. It would have taken less than 40 seconds for the plane to travel the last two miles.


Hero: But Peter Burkill revealed his colleague John Coward was actually the man at the controls
Witnesses described the plane coming in very low and landing short of the runway, narrowly missing the perimeter fence, before skidding across grass and tarmac. According to a friend of the captain, he had to use the wingflaps to supply enough lift to clear the fence.


Yesterday the two pilots refused to discuss any aspect of the flight as together with Sharon Eaton-Mercer, the cabin services director who oversaw the emergency evacuation of the flight from Beijing, they appeared at a photo call alongside BA chief executive Willie Walsh.


The three arrived to warm applause from fellow BA staff as Captain Burkill read a statement praising the crew, emergency services, and passengers.


Inquiries by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch appear to rule out any form of pilot error in the approach for landing. One area of specific interest will be the electrical system after it emerged yesterday that there had been at least 12 serious incidents of overheating, causing "major damage" to power panels on at least four occasions.


The initial findings of investigators are based on interviews with the pilots and analysis of the black box flight recorder and cockpit voice recorder.


Last night the initial accident report appeared to confirm that only the supreme skill and bravery of the pilots had averted major loss of life. And whatever the cause of the accident, there was widespread praise for the skill and professionalism of the crew during the emergency.


The Prime Minister's own flight to China was delayed at Heathrow and yesterday Mr Brown praised the pilot's professionalism in averting a disaster.


At his press conference, Captain Burkill went on to praise his crew for their expertise and calmness during the evacuation - just 13 people suffered minor injuries while escaping from the smoke filled cabin - and to thank the emergency services.


He thanked too the passengers for "their calmness and good sense under extremely unfamiliar circumstances" and wished those hurt a "speedy and complete recovery". The broken fuselage of the Boeing 777 remained in place near the tip of Heathrow's southern runway yesterday as some flights continued to suffer delays and cancellations.


It emerged yesterday that Capt Burkill had joked with friends at a Christmas party about what he would do if his engines failed.

Neighbour Valerie Firminger, 61, said she had asked him what he would do in an emergency during the party near their homes in Worcester.


"He mulled it over for a couple seconds and said that if only one engine failed than he would probably be able to cope with none of the passengers the wiser. But if both went, he said, 'I'd glide it in as best as possible' and then with a smile he added 'and hope for the best'.

"But if I ever was in that situation, there is nobody else I'd want behind the controls."


Captain Burkill, who is understood to have two children from a previous marriage, has lived in a large detached home by the River Severn in Worcester with wife of five years, Maria, a paramedic, and their three sons - three-year-old Troy, 18-month-old Logan and two-month-old Coby - for nearly two years.


Mrs Burkill, 34, who met her husband while she was a long-haul air hostess with BA, wrote on her Friends Reunited entry: "I met the man of my dreams in 2002 and we got married in May 03."


Last night, it emerged Mrs Burkill had contacted publicist Max Clifford with plans to sell her husband's story. The publicist was understood to be in negotiations with Sunday newspapers.

[Rooster Cruiser]

Last night, it emerged Mrs Burkill had contacted publicist Max Clifford with plans to sell her husband's story. The publicist was understood to be in negotiations with Sunday newspapers.

<GROAN>  The dust hasn't even settled, and the wife of the FO is already looking to cash in on this!   

She ought to wait until the final report comes in.  No one has been cleared yet.  Does anyone remember that Airbus that had to dead-stick into the Canary Islands when they lost all fuel overboard due to some kind of broken fuel line?  Everyone praised the flight crew for managing to keep it airborne for 40 miles.  Then when the final report became public, it was revealed that they hadn't followed either a checklist or SOP's to shut down the engine that was losing all the fuel, which lead to their having fuel starvation.  Then they became the goats.

I would hate to see that happen here, but fuel starvation IS a possibility...

[leiafee]

The report doesn't say it "lost power" it says that more power was asked for and didn't happen. 

I wonder if the trust responded the other way -- to closing the throttle?

Landing without power is a different sort of problem than landing with effectively a stuck throttle.  Equally undesirable mind you!

[Baradium]

Last night, it emerged Mrs Burkill had contacted publicist Max Clifford with plans to sell her husband's story. The publicist was understood to be in negotiations with Sunday newspapers.

<GROAN>  The dust hasn't even settled, and the wife of the FO is already looking to cash in on this!   

She ought to wait until the final report comes in.  No one has been cleared yet.  Does anyone remember that Airbus that had to dead-stick into the Canary Islands when they lost all fuel overboard due to some kind of broken fuel line?  Everyone praised the flight crew for managing to keep it airborne for 40 miles.  Then when the final report became public, it was revealed that they hadn't followed either a checklist or SOP's to shut down the engine that was losing all the fuel, which lead to their having fuel starvation.  Then they became the goats.

I would hate to see that happen here, but fuel starvation IS a possibility...

Minor correction, that's the wife of the Captain who is looking to cash in, not the wife of the F/O.

[Ragwing]

I really enjoyed the part about being two miles out and 600 FEET......  OUCH, that is a little low.

Fuel starvation or contamination would not hit both engines at the same time.
At the termination of the flight, you should be drawing fuel from both wings.

[Rooster Cruiser]

I really enjoyed the part about being two miles out and 600 FEET......  OUCH, that is a little low.

Fuel starvation or contamination would not hit both engines at the same time.
At the termination of the flight, you should be drawing fuel from both wings.

Pure conjecture on my part.

[Mike]

yeah, I am really curious how this plays out.

might be a big ol' "OH! THAT"S WHAT IT WAS" experience . . .

[AirScorp]

Code: [Select]

Accident to Boeing 777-236, G-YMMM at London Heathrow Airport on 17 January 2008 - Initial Report

http://www.aaib.dft.gov.uk/latest_news/accident__heathrow_17_january_2008___initial_report.cfm

[undatc]

IF the 777 had a 'blue screen of death', im thinking this might be a sign.   

Anyone know how many back up computers the 777 has?

[Oddball]

i think boeings usually have about 3 backups same with aribus please correct me if im wrong

[FlyboyGil]

Here's a picture of the new landing lights installed at Heathrow as a result of the landing

[undatc]

Here's a picture of the new landing lights installed at Heathrow as a result of the landing

Dude!!!!  Thats what I needed when I took my PPL course!!!

[Mike]

NICE, GIL!!!

Looks like a perfect runway for Chuck as well.....

[leiafee]

Update to the initial report from the AAIB

[Oddball]

hmmm thats intresting