Passenger on British Airways mayday flight describes fear and shout of 'I don't want to die'
Edward Killiwick was on the flight that issued a distress call, before it landed safely at Heathrow earlier this month.
A passenger aboard a British Airways flight that declared a mayday earlier this month while approaching Heathrow Airport has recounted the escalating fear within the cabin and the crew's silence.
Edward Killiwick, who was returning from a friend's birthday celebration with his partner Julie on the July 6 flight from Dusseldorf, Germany, described the experience. He stated that passengers were informed of an aborted landing, followed by a "very violent manoeuvre" that led him to believe a crash was possible. He and Julie comforted a woman who "completely lost it and started screaming, 'I don't want to die.'"
The flight ultimately landed safely, and the incident is currently under investigation with British Airways' cooperation. The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed it is "investigating a serious incident," and France's accident investigation authority, the BEA, reported on Wednesday that the aircraft, an Airbus A320, had issued a distress call.
Edward detailed the "violent manoeuvre," saying it "almost felt like it was avoiding another aircraft. You could feel the engines going at full power." He found it "a bit odd going around in a holding pattern with no information," concluding, "I thought if they're not talking, then they're not in a good place." He estimated they remained in a holding pattern for approximately 15 minutes.
According to the BEA, a data system failure triggered a stall warning as the plane neared Heathrow. The crew then operated the aircraft in "alternate law" mode, which disables certain automated flight protection systems. A second stall warning occurred at 3,000 feet, a distance experts suggest was likely only a few miles from the airport. The crew's initial urgency call was then upgraded to a mayday, signifying immediate danger.
A British Airways spokesperson stated that the airline is assisting the AAIB with its investigation and is legally unable to provide further comment at this time.
Edward admitted, "I was definitely scared. After the violent manoeuvre I thought, there is definitely something very badly wrong here. I did think we could crash. I did think it was a possibility, and I think everyone else did."
He added, "I think everyone was getting very scared, including one lady who completely lost it and started screaming 'I don't want to die.' Then we did land, but still no communication from the flight deck, which I suppose isn't surprising as I suppose they had quite a lot to do."
Upon landing, Edward observed several fire trucks and a police car on the tarmac. He noted, "There was a few people that did clap, but not that many because I think everyone was just relieved to be on the ground. Everyone was very, very quiet. There was almost no conversation. That's the eerie thing. Julie, my partner, did shed a few tears when we landed."
Additional reporting by Katy Austin contributed to this account.