A British Airways flight was forced into an emergency stop after a pilot’s directional mistake sparked a fire on the runway.
The incident occurred on a Boeing 777 jet preparing for take-off at Gatwick Airport when the co-pilot mistakenly reduced the plane’s thrust by pulling the wrong lever.
Instead of using the correct control on the right, the co-pilot pulled the left lever, inadvertently decreasing the aircraft’s acceleration.
This misstep caused the brakes to overheat and ignite as the aircraft reached nearly 190mph, prompting a high-speed abort just before liftoff.
The emergency response led to a temporary closure of Gatwick’s runway on June 28 last year, disrupting dozens of scheduled flights.
Details of the event were published on Thursday in a report by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
The co-pilot, who had over 6,000 flying hours under his belt, had recently returned from a two-week holiday and reported feeling alert and rested.
Despite being in good health, the pilot admitted he had no explanation for why he confused his hands during the critical phase of takeoff.
Thankfully, all 334 passengers and 13 crew members onboard the Canada-bound flight to Vancouver escaped unharmed.
The fire, which started on the aircraft’s right-side landing gear brakes, was swiftly contained by emergency crews.
Footage taken from inside the aircraft captured fire trucks arriving on the scene as the plane remained stationary on the tarmac.
According to the AAIB report, the co-pilot was meant to use his left hand for a specific takeoff action while his right hand was to manage the control column.
Instead, he mistakenly pulled back with his left hand, cutting the aircraft’s power output during a key moment in takeoff.
The report emphasised that there was no apparent trigger for the mistake, and the pilot remained puzzled by his actions.
It further noted that the pilot was physically and mentally fit, and described his surprise at the unintended reduction in thrust.
Investigators confirmed that airport fire services responded promptly to the scene, successfully putting out flames from the overheated brake system.
A Gatwick Airport spokesperson confirmed the jet was stopped due to brake overheating and praised the swift work of the fire crews.
“The safety of passengers and crew is always our main priority,” the statement read, noting that flight operations resumed shortly afterwards.
Several flights experienced delays or had to be diverted during the brief runway closure that followed.
British Airways also addressed the incident, stating the pilots chose to abort the takeoff as a safety precaution due to a technical issue.
“Safety remains our utmost priority,” said a BA spokesperson, offering apologies to affected travellers for the disruption.
