UK: Co-pilot’s mistake causes fire on British Airways flight

A British Airways flight had to abort its take-off at Gatwick Airport after the co-pilot mistakenly confused his left and right hands.

The incident occurred on June 28, involving a Boeing 777 bound for Vancouver, Canada. It resulted in a 50-minute runway closure and 23 canceled departures.

The error happened when the co-pilot moved a lever to the left instead of to the right, reducing the aircraft’s thrust. At the same time, the commander called for the plane to pull up.

After briefly accelerating, the take-off was abandoned. The plane stopped well before the end of the runway.

Firefighting crews were called to extinguish a fire on the right-hand landing gear. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

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A British Airways spokesperson said, “Safety is always our highest priority and our pilots brought the aircraft to a safe stop.”

The AAIB report indicated that the co-pilot, with over 6,100 flying hours, was “surprised” by the mistake and could not identify the cause.

Days before the incident, British Airways had issued a safety notice reminding pilots to stay focused.

The airline urged pilots to “pause before execution and cognitively consider what the required action is.” It also emphasized “mis-selections” in pre-flight briefings and during regular simulator training.

(BBC)

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