Africana55 Radio 
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Already a member? Log in
A British Airways flight to the US was forced to return to London after rapidly descending 28,000 feet and declaring an emergency.
Flight BA295 from Heathrow to Chicago’s O’Hare airport issued a squawk 7700 alert, the signal for a general emergency, following a “technical issue” on Monday.
The Boeing 777-200 departed Heathrow at 12.14pm and, about an hour into the journey, dropped sharply from its normal cruising altitude of 37,000 feet to 9,000 feet within minutes.
According to passengers, oxygen masks were deployed from the ceiling after the aircraft encountered sudden turbulence.
FlightAware tracking data shows the aircraft made a U-turn over Ireland about an hour into its scheduled nine-hour flight to Chicago.
A rapid descent to lower altitudes often indicates a cabin depressurisation event, reported AirLive, but British Airways has not confirmed the nature of the “technical issue”.
After burning fuel in a holding pattern over the Bristol Channel between Pembrokeshire and North Devon, the flight landed safely back at Heathrow at 5.03pm.
Passenger Tom Nicholls told the Mirror that the aircraft adjusted but “didn’t feel like it was descending rapidly”.
He added: “The oxygen masks popped out soon after and there was a bit of uncertainty onboard. The couple in front couldn’t get to theirs, but by the time they’d found a spare seat with a mask, the captain announced we were below 10,000ft so they were not needed.”
The flight was then cancelled, with most customers rebooked to travel on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for BA said: “The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and 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.”
Read more: Who are the mystery men who stopped the FlyDubai plane from crashing?