Mr Orlando
17-01-2008, 03:20 PM
Crash Landing At Heathrow Airport
A British Airways plane has crash landed at Heathrow Airport, hitting the ground several hundred yards short of the runway and narrowly missing a busy road.
More than 150 people were forced to dive off the Boeing 777 down inflatable chutes and onto the tarmac as emergency services rushed to the scene.
BA flight 38 had been landing in London after flying from Beijing.
Pictures of the crashed plane show the aircraft's mangled undercarriage - as if it had slid across the ground.
Serious damage is visible to the right engine and to both wings and the plane is surrounded by fire engines and a sea of firefighting foam.
Scotland Yard said: "There is nothing to suggest at this stage that the incident is in any way terror-related."
Sky correspondent David Bowden, who is at Heathrow, said: "It looks as though... if something did go very wrong with this plane, it must have happened at the very last minute.
"No emergency was declared. There simply wasn't enough time."
Bowden added: "Air traffic control didn't know this was happening until it was too late."
Only six passengers on the crashed plane have needed hospital treatment for minor injuries, London Ambulance Service said.
After a temporary halt to flights, air traffic controllers now say planes are taking off and landing on the airport's northern runway.
There are, however, many delays, with some planes diverted to other London airports.
The Prime Minister's flight to China was among those stuck on the runway after the drama.
:: BA has set up a helpline for concerned relatives: 0800 389 4193
A British Airways plane has crash landed at Heathrow Airport, hitting the ground several hundred yards short of the runway and narrowly missing a busy road.
More than 150 people were forced to dive off the Boeing 777 down inflatable chutes and onto the tarmac as emergency services rushed to the scene.
BA flight 38 had been landing in London after flying from Beijing.
Pictures of the crashed plane show the aircraft's mangled undercarriage - as if it had slid across the ground.
Serious damage is visible to the right engine and to both wings and the plane is surrounded by fire engines and a sea of firefighting foam.
Scotland Yard said: "There is nothing to suggest at this stage that the incident is in any way terror-related."
Sky correspondent David Bowden, who is at Heathrow, said: "It looks as though... if something did go very wrong with this plane, it must have happened at the very last minute.
"No emergency was declared. There simply wasn't enough time."
Bowden added: "Air traffic control didn't know this was happening until it was too late."
Only six passengers on the crashed plane have needed hospital treatment for minor injuries, London Ambulance Service said.
After a temporary halt to flights, air traffic controllers now say planes are taking off and landing on the airport's northern runway.
There are, however, many delays, with some planes diverted to other London airports.
The Prime Minister's flight to China was among those stuck on the runway after the drama.
:: BA has set up a helpline for concerned relatives: 0800 389 4193