British Airways flight issued mayday on Heathrow approach after stall warnings
A British Airways flight heading into Heathrow called mayday after two stall warnings jolted the crew on approach to London’s busiest airport. The aircraft l...
A British Airways flight heading into Heathrow called mayday after two stall warnings jolted the crew on approach to London’s busiest airport. The aircraft landed safely, but investigators are now treating the episode as a serious incident.
The call was made on 6 July by an Airbus A320 flying from Dusseldorf, according to France’s accident investigation authority, the BEA. The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was investigating, while British Airways said it was helping with that inquiry and could not comment further.
What investigators say happened
The BEA said a data system failure as the plane neared Heathrow triggered the first stall warning. The crew then switched to a different operating mode known as “alternate law”, which removes some automated flight protection systems.
A second stall warning came at 3,000 feet. At that point, the crew had already issued an urgency call, which was then upgraded to mayday, a signal used when there is imminent danger. Experts said the aircraft was likely just miles from the airport when that happened.
Why the case matters
The incident puts a spotlight on a narrow but critical phase of flight. Approaches into major hubs like Heathrow leave little room for error, and any warning tied to aircraft systems draws close scrutiny from investigators. The fact that the jet landed without further incident will matter, but so will what the data reveals about the chain of warnings and the crew’s response.
For the AAIB, the case sits in the category of serious incidents, a label that usually prompts a detailed look at how the aircraft behaved and how the crew managed the failure. The BEA said its statement came from the AAIB, though the British authority had already made clear it was examining the event.
British Airways has not said more. The airline pointed to the ongoing investigation, and the details now rest with investigators on both sides of the Channel.
