Boeing 747 jumbo jet lands at Heathrow after residents in flight path hear loud bang
The aircraft was circling above Kent at one point this afternoon
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A British Airways jumbo jet was forced to turn back to Heathrow today, after residents on the flight path said they heard a “loud bang”.
Residents in Sevenoaks, Kent, heard the noise, Kent Online reported, as well as people in Dunton Green and Biggin Hill.
The Boeing 747 - BA107 bound for Dubai departed from Heathrow at around 1pm today.
But at one point today was circling over Kent, as the crew decided to turn back to Heathrow.
It is understood the crew had had a problem retracting the undercarriage of the passenger plane.
Tony Southgate, who lives near Halstead, tweeted that the noise the aircraft made was “loud and long”.
“It was loud enough to cause my dog to panic and made me look outside,” he added.
One of the passengers, James Dempsey, tweeted: “Just had a lovely 1hr flight from Heathrow to Heathrow on board the new style BA 747-400 with fixed landing gear.”
He said that he had not heard the bang on board and there appeared to be “no issue other than gear wouldn't retract”.
A BA spokeswoman said: “The aircraft landed safely back at Heathrow after a technical problem. We're sorry for the delay to our customers' journey. They will soon be on another aircraft and on their way to Dubai.”
Additional reporting by PA
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments