British Airways flight BA295 drops 28,000 feet, declares emergency over Ireland
Boeing 777-200ER dropped from 37,000 to 9,000 feet during flight to Chicago; pilots declared emergency and returned safely to Heathrow.
Flight BA295 was bound for Chicago's O'Hare airport when a technical issue triggered a rapid descent about an hour into the flight over Ireland. Tracking data showed the aircraft dropping 28,000 feet in minutes.
Oxygen masks deployed from the cabin ceiling as passengers experienced sudden turbulence. Pilots issued an emergency squawk call and turned the plane back toward London.
The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow, where passengers were rebooked. British Airways confirmed the emergency was caused by a technical issue but gave no further detail.
A passenger on board said the pilots handled the situation well.
- 28,000 feet in minutes
- Altitude drop
- 9,000 feet
- Final altitude
- Boeing 777-200ER
- Aircraft type
- Chicago O'Hare
- Origin destination
Why it mattersThe incident demonstrates both the seriousness of mid-air emergencies and the reliability of modern aircraft systems and crew training in managing crises.
Corroborated bythenightly.com.au
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