British Airways plane collapses at Heathrow
Boeing 787’s nose gear appears to have collapsed
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 plane’s nose gear has collapsed on the tarmac at Heathrow airport.
Pictures from the scene show the Boeing 787’s nose tilting forward, with its forward fuselage crumpled onto the ground.
A number of emergency services vehicles rushed to the scene, with footage showing police, the fire brigade and ambulances all in attendance.
The extent of the damage sustained by the aircraft is currently unknown.
A British Airways spokesperson confirmed that no one was onboard the Dreamliner when the incident occurred.
They said: “A freighter aircraft has been damaged while stationary on stand. As a freighter only aircraft there were no passengers on board.
“Safety is always our highest priority and we are investigating the matter.”
According to the airline, as the jet was on stand at the time, there have been no delays at Heathrow as a result of the collapse.
Both flights and passengers remain unaffected, a Heathrow spokesperson confirmed.
The eight-year-old aircraft is fitted with 154 economy, 25 premium economy and 35 business class seats but has recently been used for transporting cargo instead of passengers, following restrictive rules on international travel during the pandemic.
According to analytics experts Cirium, BA currently has 32 Boeing 787s in service, including 12 787-8s (of which G-ZBJB, the aircraft involved in today’s incident, is one), as well as 18 787-9s.
In addition, the airline has two 787-10s and 10 787-10s on firm order.
It’s not the first time a plane has collapsed on the runway.
In March this year, a plane carrying 127 people had to evacuate on the runway when the landing gear collapsed right before take-off.
The incident occurred on Viva Aerobus flight VIV 4343, which was due to fly between Puerto Vallarta and Monterrey in Mexico on 18 March.
As the Airbus A320 jet was lining up to takeoff from Puerto Vallarta airport, on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the plane’s nose landing gear collapsed.
In a statement, the Mexican airline said that all 127 passengers and flight crew were unhurt and safely disembarked the aircraft.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments