British Airways BA295 RECAP: Heathrow flight emergency as plane plunges 28,000ft

British Airways BA295 RECAP: Heathrow flight emergency as plane plunges 28,000ft British Airways flight BA295 from London Heathrow to Chicago made a U-turn over Ireland after declaring an emergency on Monday, dropping rapidly to just 9,000ft A British Airways flight eventually returned to Heathrow on Monday afternoon following an emergency just one hour into its journey to Chicago. Flight BA295 declared a mid-air emergency following a sudden and steep descent over Ireland. Oxygen masks were deployed for the passengers and crew. The Boeing 777-200ER plane departed from London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 at 11.50am, with a scheduled flight time of eight hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The aircraft had climbed to its cruising altitude of 37,000ft when it appeared to encounter an issue and declared an emergency. Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft descended rapidly from cruising altitude to around 9,000ft. The plane burned fuel off the coast of Wales before touching down at Heathrow again at around 5pm. British Airways said the plane turned around after a "technical issue". Were you on board BA295? Share your experience with livenews@reachplc.com. Key Events British Airways announces multi-billion investment hours after emergency incident Shortly after yesterday's incident the airline shared the news it is making a multi-billion investment into customer experience. BA unveiled new cabins will be arriving on its retrofitted A380s, marking a major milestone in one of the most extensive cabin refurbishment programmes ever undertaken by an airline. Sean Doyle, Chairman and CEO at British Airways, said: "This is a major milestone for British Airways and the future of our A380 fleet, marking one of the most significant transformations we’ve ever undertaken on any aircraft. ‘We've completely reimagined the customer experience, introducing new and updated seats in every cabin, all carefully considered to deliver greater comfort and an elevated customer experience. ‘At the heart of the transformation is our brand-new First suite, but this investment goes far beyond a single cabin. From redesigned interiors and upgraded dining to new amenities and service delivery, every detail has been thoughtfully designed with our customers front and centre, helping them to have a more seamless and memorable experience when they fly with us." The first completed A380 is expected to enter service in the coming months but no exact date has been given. British Airways crew were 'fabulous' Another passenger has heaped praise on the British Airways crew following today's emergency on BA295. Clare told the Mirror the crew were "fabulous and reassuring", and told passengers that such a "decompression" event was a "rare occurrence". "We weren’t overly worried at any time," she said. 'Grab the nearest mask...' Footage from on board BA295 showed oxygen masks dropping from the ceiling. A voiceover was heard telling passengers: "Grab the nearest oxygen mask and put it over your nose and mouth immediately." What caused the BA295 emergency? British Airways said the plane returned to Heathrow after a "technical issue". The plane had descended rapidly from 37,000ft to around 9,000ft. This usually occurs when there is a depressurisation issue. Passengers booked onto new flights for tomorrow Passenger Tom Nicholls told the Mirror: "We were all booked onto different flights tomorrow." He also praised British Airways, saying the airline had handled the BA295 emergency "pretty well". 'Sudden turbulence before masks dropped...' Passenger Tom Nicholls told the Mirror there was a "sudden bit of turbulence" during the emergency earlier today. He praised the actions of the pilots, and said the sudden descent to 9,000ft didn't feel too extreme. He explained: "The plane adjusted but it didn’t feel like it was descending rapidly. I’d say the pilots did a very good job. "The oxygen masks popped out soon after and there was a bit of uncertainty onboard. The couple in front couldn’t get to theirs but by the time they’d found a spare seat with a mask, the captain announced we were below 10,000ft so they were not needed." BA295 burned fuel before landing The plane flew in a holding pattern off the coast of Wales before returning to Heathrow. This was so it could burn fuel, making it light enough to land. British Airways statement in full The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue. Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible. BA295 plunged 28,000ft before declaring emergency The plane reached its normal cruising altitude of 37,000ft before dropping sharply to 9,000ft over Ireland. The flight crew then issued a squawk 7700 code - the international aviation signal for a general emergency. The standard protocol for controlled rapid descents to lower altitudes (typically below 10,000ft) often indicates a cabin depressurisation event. Images show oxygen masks deployed A passenger on board the plane sent the Mirror footage showing oxygen masks deployed from the ceiling. A voiceover can be heard telling passengers: "Grab the nearest oxygen mask and put it over your nose and mouth immediately." What caused the BA295 emergency? British Airways said the plane returned to Heathrow after a "technical issue". The plane had descended rapidly from 37,000ft to around 9,000ft. This usually occurs when there is a depressurisation issue. BA295 was in the air for roughly five hours BA295 departed London Heathrow at 11.50am, with a scheduled flight time of eight hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The plane declared an emergency over Ireland about one hour into its journey. After burning fuel in a holding pattern over the Bristol Channel, it landed back at Heathrow at around 5pm. Footage shows landing Footage shared on social media shows the moment British Airways BA295 came in to land at Heathrow airport after almost five hours in the air. 'Pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue' - British Airways British Airways has issued a statement to the Mirror on today's events. A spokesperson for the airline said: “The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue. "Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible.” Images show oxygen masks deployed Images purportedly taken inside the aircraft appear to show oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling being worn by passengers. A controlled rapid descent, like the one made by the Boeing 777 before it signalled a mid-air emergency, is often a sign of a cabin depressurisation event. The Mirror has approached British Airways and Heathrow for further details. Pictures show plane landing safely Images from live streams at Heathrow show BA295 landing safely following a mid-air emergency over Ireland about an hour into its scheduled journey to Chicago. The plane was forced to abandon its route and circle over the Bristol Channel, burning fuel after dropping 28,000 feet, before returning to Heathrow this afternoon. Flight BA295 has landed Tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the BA flight has landed at Heathrow. The Mirror has contacted the airport and BA for comment. Flight BA295 on final approach to Heathrow Flight BA295 is about to land at Heathrow after a dramatic mid-air incident saw the plane lose around 28,000 feet of altitude and signal a mid-air emergency. Live stream from Heathrow as plane lands British Airways Flight BA295 is now over London, having successfully burned 30T of fuel over the Bristol Channel. Below is a livestream of Heathrow Airport, where the plane will shortly be landing. Sudden descent could be due to 'depressurisation event' British Airways Flight BA295, operated by a Boeing 777-200ER registered as G-VIIA - the oldest plane in the BA fleet - dropped 28,000 feet in a matter of minutes. The plane reached its normal cruising altitude of 37,000 feet before dropping sharply to an altitude of 9,000 feet approximately one hour after departure. The flight crew issued a squawk 7700 code - the international aviation signal for a general emergency - shortly after beginning the steep descent. The standard protocol for controlled rapid descents to lower altitudes (typically below 10,000 feet) often indicates a cabin depressurisation event, according to AirLive.net Flight changes course Flight tracking data shows the passenger jet has now changed course and is headed east towards Heathrow. The jet had previously been flying back and forth over the Bristol Channel in an attempt to burn enough fuel so it could land safely. Flight being followed by 26,000 people The plane is currently flying back and forth between the north coast of Devon and south-west Wales in order to burn fuel so it is light enough to land. It is currently the most tracked flight worldwide on the website flightradar24, with more than 26,000 people following its progress. Plane burning fuel in holding pattern In order to burn more fuel and reduce weight, the crew will lower the landing gear while flying in the holding pattern. This is because the aircraft was designed to land after a long flight during which it would have burned most of its fuel. Planes take off much heavier than they can land, and airliners must burn or dump fuel before an emergency landing to reduce the aircraft's total weight to the safe maximum landing weight. Landing while carrying too much weight runs the risk of extreme physical stress on the landing gear, wings and fuselage. Plane is oldest in British Airways fleet British Airways Flight BA295 is operated by a 30 year-old Boeing 777-200ER registered as G-VIIA. According to simpleflying.com, G-VIIA is the oldest aircraft in the British Airways fleet, having been delivered to the airline in July 1997. It was also the first ever 777-200ER to roll off the production line. The carrier operates 43 Boeing 777-200ERs delivered between February 1997 and July 2009, with an average age of around 26 years. The long-haul twin-jet aircraft is returning to London Heathrow after a rapid descent from its normal cruising altitude of 37,000 feet to an altitude of 9,000 feet within minutes. Flight returning to London Heathrow BA flight BA295 is now returning to London Heathrow. It comes after the crew issued a squawk 7700 code - the international aviation signal for a general emergency. Plane made 'sudden and steep' 28,000ft descent over Ireland The Boeing 777-200ER plane is said to have made a "sudden and steep descent" while flying over Ireland this afternoon. Air traffic tracking data shows the twin-jet initiated a rapid descent, dropping 28,000 feet to an altitude of 9,000 feet within minutes. The plane remains airborne over central Ireland and continuing straight ahead while the flight crew coordinates with air traffic control, according to AirLive. The nature of the emergency is not yet clear. Flight tracker shows plane making U-turn BA Flight BA295 declared an emergency and made a U-turn over Ireland at around 12:50pm following a sudden and steep descent, according to flight-tracking data. The plane was around an hour into its scheduled flight time of 8 hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). It descended rapidly from cruising altitude to around 9,000 feet while over Ireland, according to flightradar24.