What caused British Airways flight BA295 to plummet 28,000 feet in just seven minutes?

A British Airways flight that was going from London to Chicago had a change when the plane suddenly went down 28,000 feet in just seven minutes. Flight BA295 had taken off from Heathrow when a technical problem caused the Boeing 777 to drop quickly over Ireland. The plane then went back toward the UK flying over the Bristol Channel for four hours before landing back at Heathrow. Passengers were able to get off the plane without any issues after it landed, as per a report by NBC News and the NYP.

What happened to the British Airways flight

Flight BA295 left London Heathrow at 12:15 p.m. Time. 30 Minutes into the trip the Boeing 777 started to go down quickly while flying over Ireland. According to FlightAware the plane went from 36,000 feet to 9,000 feet in just seven minutes. The sudden drop of 28,000 feet happened after the crew said there was an emergency because of a technical problem.

The Mirror said that oxygen masks were used for passengers and crew after the drop. The plane then changed direction of going to Chicago. FlightAware showed that it flew around the Bristol Channel for four hours before going back to London.


It finally landed at Heathrow at 5 p.m. Local time.



British Airways said the plane landed safely after the pilots decided to go to Heathrow.

“The aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue." “Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible," British Airways reportedly wrote in a statement.

Why did the plane fly around for long

The plane did not land right away after it turned back toward Britain. Instead it flew around for hours over the Bristol Channel. Flight data showed the plane moving back and forth in the area before going to Heathrow.

The plane had been in the air for a time when it finally landed. The long time in the air happened after the emergency drop and the return, to London. The exact nature of the technical problem has not been specified in the information provided by British Airways.

British Airways did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post. Heathrow also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Passengers affected by the return will likely be provided with hotels while another flight is arranged, as stipulated by the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority.

The flight comes amid other UK aviation disruptions

The incident comes less than a month after technical problems involving Britain’s air traffic control system caused major disruption.

The National Air Traffic Service, or NATS, faced scrutiny after two technical problems in two weeks led to significant delays at several UK airports. Hundreds of flights were canceled, with NATS blaming software issues.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander described the situation as “deeply frustrating” for passengers.

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports. Airports Council International data showed that it handled 84.5 million passengers last year, putting it seventh globally.

The airport also experienced major disruption in March last year when a fire at an electricity substation caused a power outage. More than 1,300 flights were affected, along with about 200,000 passengers.

An investigation into around 600 pieces of evidence later ruled out suspicious activity. The National Energy System Operator said a preventable moisture fault caused the fire.

For the passengers on BA295, however, the immediate problem was much closer to home. A flight that began as a trip from London to Chicago ended with an emergency return to the same airport several hours later.