British Airways Crash Fake Out: Passengers Told Plane Was Crashing When It Wasn't

Aug 27 (Reuters Life!) - British Airways apologised to passengers after an emergency message warning they were about to crash into the sea was played by mistake.

About 275 passengers were on the London Heathrow to Hong Kong flight on Tuesday evening when the automated message went out. The plane was flying over the North Sea at the time.

Read the whole story: Reuters

Comments

[johndpieper]

06:35 AM on 08/29/2010

Just emailed a buddy of mine who flies for BA. He provided me this link:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/bay/7967100/British-Airways-pilot-alarms-passengers-after-accidentally-sounding-emergency-warning.html

I bet the pilot who did not cause the emergency warning was just as shocked as the passengers were. I bet he thought to himself "What the he!! am I not noticing? I'm not usually THAT oblivious!"

[Nichole Boultas]

02:29 AM on 08/29/2010

Can we say,"ooops!"

[ScottishScript]

08:17 PM on 08/28/2010

Something similar happened to me on a flight to Munich few years back. Automated message said to assume crash positions or something to that effect.

Thing was, plane was still boarding at the time.

[SocialistBoy]

07:16 PM on 08/28/2010

Looks like somebody/s was tippy-toeing around in the pilot's chair!!

[gus44444]

12:53 PM on 08/28/2010

What a typically half-baked Reuters report, in that it fails to say what, specifically, the onboard announcement said. I doubt very much that it said specifically, "We're about to crash."

[HighDesertBob]

06:01 PM on 08/27/2010

These automated messages are initiated when the flight crew puts the switch in the AUTO position on the overhead panel. It's there to notify the passengers while the flight crew is busy trying to maintain or regain control of the aircraft. Unfortunately, as in all electronics, failures do occur.
As I recall, the same controls activate the emergency oxygen masks as well the recorded message.

[SuzyQ08]

04:38 PM on 08/27/2010

Wow.. that must have been so scary.

[topkatnc]

10:38 AM on 08/27/2010

Wow .. that would be a good way to start the day ... gonna die ... no , not gonna die .....

[KIVPossum]

09:48 AM on 08/27/2010

Hope they gave everyone a free drink.